Something Old, Something New
by Neuropsych
Summary: (FINISHED!) The wedding of the decade is upon us. Rated for possible language that might slip out, and who knows what else?
1. 01

_Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue_

Author's Note: This is the long awaited wedding story. I know there's a lot of them already out, but there's really no way I could have this entire series going like it is and skip over the wedding, so if there are parts that sound familiar because someone else has already written something like it, then you need to know it's purely by chance, since I never take other people's ideas for my own. I don't need to! That said, I'm not sure how long this will be, so we'll take the journey together, hmm? Thanks in advance for your reviews, and don't forget to pop out your suggestions, which might or might not be used.

Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1, or those folks, but I do own pretty much everyone else that will make an appearance

_Here we go!_

..................

"Jack?"

Samantha Carter's soft voice was a mixture of concern and amusement, and even asleep Jack O'Neill knew that voice. Knew it better than any he'd heard, with the exception of another voice he'd only heard once before but would recognize anywhere. That voice was a masculine one, though, and deep. Far deeper than Sam's.

"Hmmm?"

"Wake up for a minute, can you?"

"I'm _dying_, Sam... just let me go... I love you..."

Sam smiled, and ran her hand gently along his bare shoulder. He _wasn't_ dying, but he probably wished he was. She hadn't seen him so badly hung over in a long time.

"You weren't drinking when the boys were at the party, were you?"

"What boys?"

"Um... Shawn – that would be your _son_, by the way – and Andrew, Devon, Simon-"

"Sam..."

"Hmmm?"

"My head hurts..."

"I didn't tell you to get drunk last night, Jack," she said, although she did lower her voice just a little.

"I wasn't _planning_ on it..."

"But...?"

Jack shrugged. He couldn't really remember all that much about the night before. Only that there had been Marines there, and that they'd brought their own booze, which they'd been happy to share.

"The boys went home... after the party."

"But before the drinking began?" Sam was certain they had, since she'd never be able to believe Jack would have gotten so ripped in front of the boys that looked up to him and had for so long. Especially Shawn.

"I... think so..."

Sam smiled, "Do you want some coffee before I go?"

"Where are you going?"

"To Janet's."

"_Already_?"

"It's the custom Jack."

"It's a _stupid_ custom." He was awake enough, now, to lift his head and look at her with bleary, red eyes, and he even managed a scowl. "You live here. How dumb is it that you're spending the day before our wedding away from the house just so I can't see you?"

"I don't make the customs," Sam said, leaning over and kissing him, softly. "But Janet says I have to obey them – and so do you."

"Customs suck."

"You liked the custom of having a bachelor's party, didn't you?"

"I didn't want one," Jack said, dropping his head back to the pillow. It was too much effort to keep it up. "Daniel and Teal'c made me."

Sam had to admit that was true. Jack had wanted to have a simple get together, with the girls and boys, but he'd been shouted down by pretty much everyone. Customs. It was all about customs and traditions.

"Well, Janet says I have to obey this one, so you'll have to do without me for the day, okay?"

"I don't want to, Sam."

Jack reached out and pulled her into his arms before she'd realized what he was doing, and held her close against his warm body. She smiled and went willingly, but made sure to keep the blankets between them, or she knew she'd never get out of the bedroom anytime soon.

"It's for _one_ day."

"I'm used to having you here. How am I going to sleep tonight?"

"Cuddle up with Jaffer."

The black lab looked up at the sound of his name, and wagged his tail, idly. _He'd_ cuddle with Jack, sure!

Jack sighed, and buried his head against Sam's shoulder. He might have been a bit more mature about her leaving him if he wasn't feeling quite so miserable already. He just knew when she left he was going to feel worse. Sam ran her fingers through his hair, and pressed a gentle kiss against his ear, understanding that he didn't feel good, and slightly amused and touched by how much he was clinging to her that morning.

"I love you, Jack." She whispered in his ear.

"I love you, too, Sam."

"Why don't you spend the day with Jaffer? Make sure he's not feeling left out what with how busy we've been the last week?"

Jack nodded. Maybe he'd take Jaffer to the park. After he slept for about another ten hours.

"Are you sure you have to go?"

"Yes. Janet will come hunt me down if I'm not at her house in twenty minutes. Besides, I have a final fitting for my dress."

"Can I come?"

"Do you want her to go ballistic?"

"No."

"Then spend the day with Jaffer. And shine the buttons on your uniform."

Jack nodded, and Sam let him go and slid out of his arms with a final kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded, his eyes on hers, as though memorizing her face for the lonely day to come. "Don't leave me standing at the alter, Sam."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Tell Cassandra hi."

"Not Janet?"

Jack scowled.

"If she lets you come home, you can tell her hi. Otherwise tell her to take her traditions and shove th-"

"Jack... I'll tell her you said hi."

"Fine."

He reached out and took her hand before she could get completely off the bed.

"Samantha O'Neill..."

He was completely sober, now, and she knew it. Sam smiled, and squeezed his hand.

"I'll see you in the morning. If you need anything, call."

"Janet said I can't talk to you."

"Well... what she doesn't know won't kill her..."

She kissed him again, and then planted a gentle kiss on the top of Jaffer's head, dodged the wickedly fast tongue, and headed for the door. A moment later, he heard her leaving.

"Stupid traditions..." One had him alone for the rest of the day, and the other had his head pounding so hard he was sure it was going to fall off and roll across the floor. Jack groaned and put his face in the pillow.

They should have eloped.


	2. 02

**_Still trying to fix whatever is wrong... until i get it straightened out, I can't post another chapter, or it'll just go from bad to worse! Bear with me!_**

Author's Note: I don't know a lot about Jack's parents, so I'm leaving them out completely, just so you all know.

..........................

Jack managed to drag himself out to the living room before he absolutely _had_ to sit down. He flopped down on the sofa – sprawled, really – and was asleep again in minutes. Jaffer joined him on the sofa. Sam had let him out, so he didn't have any pressing needs, and he was more than willing to spend the morning keeping Jack's legs warm. Jack sighed when Jaffer joined him; the black lab always made him feel better when he was close by. Of course, he couldn't feel much worse at that moment.

A knock on the door a few hours later woke Jack and Jaffer. Jaffer a little quicker than Jack. The big lab jumped off the couch and scrambled over to the door, wagging his tail as he waited for Jack to come and open it. The knock came again before Jack managed to drag himself off the couch and to the door.

"Good lord, Colonel. You look like hell."

Jack frowned. He actually felt much better than he had before he'd gone back to sleep.

"It's _Daniel's_ fault, Sir."

Hammond smiled and walked past Jack and into the house, where he greeted Jaffer cheerfully.

"He's paying for it, I assure you."

"Oh?"

"I just came from his place. He's barely coherent."

"Good."

"Well, it does mean you won't have as much help today as you were supposed to."

"They're good kids, General," Jack said, "I won't need much help."

"Well, I'm here to help. When will they be here?"

Jack looked at his watch and was surprised to see it was already almost noon. He'd be married in less than 24 hours.

"I think Dotty said she'd be bringing them by around noon, so they should be here soon. Would you like some coffee while we wait?"

"I would, but _I'll_ make it. You need to go get showered and pull yourself together."

Jack nodded.

"Make yourself at home, Sir. I'll be right back."

"Take your time, son." Hammond said, heading for the kitchen, with Jaffer right behind him.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Since Jack hadn't reappeared, Hammond went to open it, meeting Jaffer at the door. The black lab was wagging his tail ferociously, which made the General assume that it was someone he liked on the other side. When he opened the door to reveal Dotty Adams and a crowd of thirteen and fourteen year old boys, Hammond knew he'd been right.

"General Hammond, what a pleasure." Dotty said as the boys rushed in past her. All but Shawn, who stayed close to his mother to greet the General as well. "Where's Jack?"

"Repairing the affects of a little too much drinking."

Dotty smiled, and looked at Shawn. "I thought you said there wasn't any drinking?"

"_I_ didn't see any..."

"The drinking didn't start until after I took the boys home, apparently," Hammond explained, smiling. "But then it started with a vengeance, according to Teal'c. The Marines that were there brought some heavy stuff and spiked Jack's drinks hard."

"Poor guy."

"At least _Jack's_ on his feet," Hammond said. "Daniel couldn't even drag himself out of bed when I went to his place this morning."

"I'd better stick around then, to help you and Jack with the boys."

"We'd appreciate it." No matter what Jack said, dressing nine boys in tuxedoes was a daunting task, and Hammond was glad to have as much help as possible. "You want some coffee while we wait for Prince Charming to put his face on?"

"That'd be great."

She turned to Shawn, ruffling his hair. "You and the boys go out back and run off some of that energy."

Shawn nodded, and headed for the back door, calling to the other boys and Jaffer, all of whom were eager to go outside. They'd chase Jaffer around until Dotty or someone else called them in, and by then they'd be ready to settle down enough that they could have the fits of their tuxedoes checked without a lot of fidgeting.

"Now... where's that coffee?"

................

They were on her second cup when Jack finally made an appearance. His hair was still damp from the shower, but he was fully dressed and looked far better than he had when he'd vanished down the hall half an hour earlier, and he was able to give Dotty a genuine smile when he saw her sitting at the table talking with Hammond.

"Hi, Dotty. Where's James?"

"Working. How do you feel?" She gave him a searching look, but couldn't see any hint that he felt miserable, and he looked okay.

"I feel a lot better than I did earlier."

"Where's Sam?"

Jack scowled, and sat down.

"Over at Janet Fraiser's, being kept away from me so I can't see her before the wedding."

"Oh." Dotty smiled, and handed her coffee cup to Jack, who took a sip gratefully. "Stupid custom."

"I know."

He'd known there was a reason he liked Dotty. She'd just given him two more.

"Are we ready?" Dotty asked. "Since Daniel's not here, I'll help you and George get the boys dressed."

"I'm ready." He'd had a shower, had a chance to put some eye drops in his eyes, and had even had a little coffee. He was ready to face the boys.

..................

"Oh, they look _adorable_..."

Dotty knew her son hated it when she called him adorable, but she couldn't help herself. She had all nine boys standing in front of her, Hammond and Jack, and all of them were decked in black tuxedoes and white shirts, complete with bow ties and cummerbunds. Predictably, every boy in the row rolled his eyes, although Andrew grinned at the compliment.

Jack smiled, but he had to agree. The tuxedoes all fit perfectly, and the boys looked sharp.

"Everyone stand up straight for a minute," Hammond told them.

Without even realizing they were obeying, they all obeyed, including Jack, who'd responded to the order automatically. Dotty smiled.

"Okay, boys. Take them off, and make sure you put them on the hanger that has your name on it, and then hang them up. We don't want to look wrinkled tomorrow, do we?"

They all shook their heads, and headed for Jack's bedroom, where closet space had been made for their wedding outfits to hang until the big day.

"Are you getting nervous, Jack?" Dotty asked him as Hammond followed the boys down the hall to supervise their undressing. Otherwise, he was certain there'd be Andrew's tuxedo with Simon's shoes and Tyler's tie.

"A little," Jack admitted. "I keep having this nightmare that Sam is just getting ready to say I do, and then realizes that it's _me_ she's marrying and starts laughing."

Dotty smiled, although she knew that under his joking tone, Jack was absolutely serious. She knew as far as he was concerned, Sam was marrying way below her. Although Dotty knew Sam didn't see it that way.

"She'd never do that."

"I know..." He shrugged, and looked down at Jaffer, who had been standing close by, watching the boys but now watching Jack and Dotty talk. The black lab came over and stuck his nose in Jack's hand, almost as if he were trying to reassure Jack, and O'Neill smiled, feeling better. "It's just a dream."

"You're better than you think you are, Jack. You know that, right?"

He shrugged again, and Dotty knew the conversation was making him uncomfortable, so she changed the subject.

"Are the Tok'ra really coming to the wedding?"

Jack nodded.

"Jacob absolutely has to, you know. Since he's giving Sam away. The rest of the high council has decided that since they're our allies, they should be there as well. So the Tok'ra are coming. Some of them, anyways."

"_That_ ought to be interesting."

"Oh, yeah." He started to say something else, but Devon came running down the hall, pulling his shirt on, and followed by Andrew and a couple other boys who were apparently the fastest undressers in Colorado.

"Jack! General Hammond says we're going to go have ice cream!"

"He did, huh?"

"Yeah."

Andrew nodded his agreement, grinning. The boy wasn't so fond of ice cream, but he loved spending time with Jack and the other members of the SGC. With Shawn going into the Air Force Academy, Andrew was doing some hard considering about his future as well, and he'd pretty much decided he was going to ask to go into the Academy the next year. It was too late to go this year, even though he was sure he'd do fine – the Asgard had been teaching him almost nonstop for the last two and a half years, and the Jaffa had been working on his physical training, so he was in fine shape and had even managed to grow a few inches so he wasn't quite so puny.

"Ice cream sounds great," Jack said. "Maybe we should go see if Daniel wants to join us..."


	3. 03

Author's note: Well, crapola. Now I can't get FF to upload my documents… maybe this story isn't meant to be?  
  
………  
  
"It's beautiful, Sam…"  
  
Carter smiled, enjoying the feel of the silk across her soft skin. It wasn't a luxury she had all that often, after all. Not in her line of work. She looked down at the dress she was wearing, and once more at her reflection in the mirror, then at Janet and Cassandra, who were standing close by, admiring the way her gown fit her curves perfectly.  
  
"They didn't do a bad job, did they?" She asked, turning her head once more to look at her reflection.  
  
"Jack's going to go crazy when he sees you," Cassandra said, smiling. "You look hot."  
  
That was quite a compliment coming from a 16 year old, so Sam smiled again, and reluctantly started to take it off.  
  
"We'd better get ready for the girls to get here," she said, sliding the silky fabric over her head and being careful not to wrinkle it. "Gina's mom said she'd bring them by around noon."  
  
"I can't wait to see what they all look like in their dresses," Janet said, smiling.  
  
"I know."  
  
Sam and Janet had chosen a pale blue as the color of the bridesmaid's dresses, figuring it would go well with the uniforms that the men and most of the guests would be wearing. Sam, of course, would be in a traditional gown - that fit her like a silky glove - and Jack was going to be dressed in his dress blues. The boys and Daniel and Teal'c would all be in Tuxedoes, and the girls and Janet would be in gowns, but all the other military personnel would be in uniform. They very rarely had a chance to dress up - aside from funerals - and it was a fine time to show off your latest set of medals. Besides, they all had dress uniforms, so there'd be no excuse for them not to come.  
  
As Janet hung up the wedding gown, Sam slid into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, more than ready to be in casual clothes today, since tomorrow would be filled with formal array.  
  
"I think we should-"  
  
She was interrupted by a knock on Janet's door, and Cassandra went to open it, revealing Gina's mother, flanked by nine young women ranging in age from 14 to fifteen, and one sixteen year old. These were the girls from France, and they were the ones who'd precede Sam down the aisle the next morning.  
  
"Hi, Sam!"  
  
There were assorted greetings and hugs all around, and Janet came out to greet the girls as well. She didn't know them as well as Sam did, of course, but she was learning about them the same way she learned everything. Quickly.  
  
"Hi, Doctor Fraiser!"  
  
"Hi, girls." Janet smiled, and gave Sally a smile when she saw that Daniel's girlfriend had come up the walk as well and joined the group by the door. "Hail, Hail, the gang's all here."  
  
"Where's Jack?"  
  
"He's at home," Sam said, ushering them all inside.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding…" Janet said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It just is."  
  
Gina frowned, trying to figure out where such a weird tradition might have originated, but she couldn't.  
  
"Do you want me to stay and help out, Sam?" Gina's mother asked. Nine girls and only three adults. It was badly mis-matched.  
  
"Nah, we've got it, I think," Sam said, smiling gratefully. "You have a class today, don't you?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded. "I'll be by to pick them up later, or call me when you're done. Gina has my cell phone number."  
  
Sam nodded, and stood to the side so all the girls could slip through the door and into Janet's. They all told Gina's mom good-bye, thanking her for the ride, and she told them all to behave and have fun. Then she left, and Sam, Sally and Janet were on their own with the girls.  
  
"We have hangers with each of your names on them," Janet said to the girls. Go try on your dresses so we can make sure they fit before tomorrow."  
  
There was a mad scramble as Cassandra pointed half the girls to Janet's room and half to her own, where closet space had been made for the outfits, and rom had been cleared so they wouldn't be bumping into each other while they dressed.  
  
"When we're done, maybe we'll go get some ice cream," Sam told them.  
  
…………  
  
Daniel didn't want ice cream. When Jack and the boys - along with Hammond, Dotty and Jaffer - all showed up on his doorstep (so to speak), he was still very much in the process of trying to wake up and clear out the cobwebs that were threatening to take over his brain. The cobwebs were better than the terrible headache he'd started his day with, but it wasn't as good as feeling 100 percent, and the archeologist was downing coffee and more coffee in his effort to get the world to focus more clearly around him. It wasn't working all that well, but coffee was about all his rebellious stomach would let him have at that moment, so he was doing the best he could. He stumbled to the door when he heard the knock, wearing a pair of shorts and one sock.  
  
"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, when the door opened. Daniel was dismayed to see that not only was Jaffer with Jack - nothing unusual there - but so were all the boys as well as Hammond and Dotty.  
  
"Jack… um… hi."  
  
"Hi."  
  
Daniel scowled. Jack looked far more awake than he felt, and he wondered if Dotty had done some kind of healing thing on him to help him get over his hangover. He knew Jack had drunk far more than he had the night before. Of course, Jack was also better at holding his alcohol than Daniel, but that was beside the point.  
  
"How's it going, guys?" Daniel asked them over Jack's shoulder.  
  
"We're going for ice cream, Daniel," Shawn said from where he was standing next to Jack. "Jack thought we should come see if you wanted to join us."  
  
The young man's face was amused, and the expression he wore was almost an identical copy of the one Jack was wearing.  
  
"He did, huh?" Daniel shot Jack a look, but the Colonel switched to an innocent, impassive look almost immediately.  
  
"Yeah." Devon confirmed. "Come on, Daniel. Let's go get some ice cream."  
  
He looked down at himself, and then at the boys, and shook his head. Even though he had absolutely no desire for ice cream, he would never say no to the boys when they ganged up on him like that.  
  
"Okay, guys… let me get dressed."  
  
He debated inviting them in, but there was a lot of stuff in his big apartment that they probably didn't need to see or play with, and Jack cut him off before he could, knowing that curious boys and Daniel's dusty shelves could only lead to questions better off unanswered - and unasked.  
  
"Come on, guys, why don't you all go wait in the cars?"  
  
Shawn and Andrew had ridden over with Jack. Simon, Devon and Tyler had hitched a ride with General Hammond, awed by the fact that a real General was chauffeuring them around, and the others had ridden with Dotty, who was just along to drive, she told Jack, and had proven that by hanging back out of the way during the conversation with Daniel. They all nodded, and headed for the elevator, talking noisily but obeying well. They were good kids, even for young teen-agers, and Jack and Daniel smiled as they watched them go, herded by Hammond, and Dotty.  
  
"You realize I'm going to be forced to kill you for this, right?" Daniel asked.  
  
Jack smiled.  
  
"Yeah, probably. But it was worth it to see the look on your face when you opened the door."  
  
He walked past Daniel and into his apartment, followed closely by Jaffer, who rarely left Jack's side. The Colonel took Daniel's cup of coffee from him, and took an appreciative sip - Daniel always made good coffee.  
  
"Go get dressed, Cinderella. Your coach is outside." 


	4. 04

Considering how it had started, Jack's day was far more enjoyable than he'd expected it to be. The boys were a good distraction at the best of times, and add Daniel to that mix and Jack was almost able to forget that he was supposed to be nervous and missing Sam. Once Daniel had joined the little group, Hammond had begged off the rest of the afternoon. The General had a ton of things to take care of, since there were aliens coming to Earth for Jack and Sam's wedding, and there were protocols that needed to be observed, and lists that needed to be double-checked.

The Tok'ra weren't the only ones who were coming. There were several humanoid races that were sending a representative to Earth for the wedding; including Bra'tac and a few Jaffa, who had been fitted for formal clothing, although they wouldn't be in the wedding ceremony. They just didn't have anything to wear that would allow them to fit in and Hammond had taken care of that. Suits, and hats that wouldn't look at all out of place in any formal get together were supplied, and Jack had watched as Bra'tac had tried on his outfit, and had to admit the old Jaffa looked pretty sharp. The Tok'ra and other humanoids had also been outfitted properly, but Jacob had been in charge of that, since he could explain to his fellows why it was necessary that they fit in with the humans.

The allies that were sending representatives to the wedding had been thoroughly coached in Earth-like behaviors by several members of various SG teams, including a few dance lessons on the off chance they'd want to join the dancing that would undoubtedly take place at the reception, and Jack and Sam had tried to keep things casual for the reception since the wedding had turned into a far more formal affair than either had planned. Once the President had authorized aliens to come to Earth – and leave the base for the first time for several of them – he'd insisted that the wedding be filled with all the pomp and circumstance that could be crammed into it.

He'd justified it, saying that Sam and Jack deserved to have their wedding be special since they'd saved the world so many times it would be his way of showing the country's appreciation, but Jack knew it was a crock of shit. He'd gone along with the wedding plans, because he didn't have a choice – and because secretly he wanted Sam's wedding to be as special as possible, but he knew it didn't have anything to do with thankfulness on the President's part. The man just wanted a chance to show off his planet, and the wedding was a perfect opportunity.

Whatever it was, though, it was a lot of extra work, and today it was Hammond that had the extra things to take care of. As best man, Daniel had been instrumental in arranging the ceremony, but now it was security that was an issue, and that was the General's responsibility. He had to go back to the base and triple check things, and make sure that there would be no unexpected surprises during Jack's wedding.

So that left Dotty, Daniel and Jack alone with the boys and Jaffer, but they had a fine time. After they picked up Daniel, they'd gone for ice cream, taking their sloppy cones to the park where the boys ran around, chasing each other and showing off while Jack, Dotty and Daniel sat on a bench, and the other two adults tried to keep Jack's mind off of how nervous he was.

Then Devon had produced a football, and had called the adults in to play a game with them, thinking they looked left out sitting on the bench. Jack went willingly, even though he knew his knees were going to punish him later for it. He hadn't played with the boys for a long time, and it'd been far too long since he'd had them all together like this – and God only knew when it'd happen again. He figured he'd enjoy it while he could.

He and Dotty teamed with Tyler, Simon, Andrew and Devon, while Daniel teamed with the rest of the boys, and the rest of the afternoon was spent in a rousing game of football that left Jack aching, Daniel bleeding, and Dotty in a dog pile with Shawn, Jaffer and Simon. All in all, it was a fine afternoon, and by the time they separated the boys to take them home, Jack had to admit that he hadn't missed Sam quite as much as he'd thought he was going to.

Then of course, he and Jaffer went home. The house was empty and quiet, and there even seemed to be a depressing echo when Jack shut the front door. He looked down at the lab, and Jaffer looked back up at him.

"I'm going to call her."

Jaffer wagged his tail. Calling her was a great idea. But so was a treat!

Jack picked up the phone and dialed Janet's number, and Cassandra answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cassie."

"Jack! Hi. Are you _supposed_ to be calling?"

"Hey, it's a free country, right? I can call anyone I want."

"Yeah, but _mom_ said that-"

"That I can't _see_ Sam until the wedding, I know." He frowned, even though Jaffer was the only one who saw it. "She didn't say anything about not _talking_ to her, though, right?"

"Well... no..." There was doubt in Cassandra's voice, but Jack jumped on the no as quickly as he could.

"See?" He fished out a bag of treats from the treat drawer for Jaffer as he was talking. "Can I talk to her, please?"

"I suppo-"Cassie's voice broke off, and was replaced a moment later by Janet Fraiser's, and Jack's frown turned into a scowl.

"Colonel O'Neill, you're not supposed-"

"I need to talk to Sam, Doc," Jack said.

"No. You're supposed to-"

"It's an emergency."

She hesitated, but she couldn't tell over the phone if he was telling the truth or not. His voice was certainly serious enough. Finally, he heard her sigh.

"_Fine_. But only for a moment."

There was a pause, and then another voice came on the phone.

"Jack? What's wrong?"

He smiled. God, he missed her.

"Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"You said it was an emer-"

"_Shhh_!" He interrupted her, quickly. "If Janet knows I lied she won't let me talk to you. Just pretend I'm telling you something serious."

Sam smiled on the other end of the phone, and then schooled her expression into one more serious. She even managed a frown.

"That sounds fairly serious."

"I just..." Jack shrugged. "Did you have a good day?"

"We tried on our dresses. The girls look beautiful."

Jack smiled. "I bet they do. Are they still there?"

"No, we took them for ice cream, then took them home. It's just Cassie, Janet and me. How was your day?"

"Not too bad... we played football with the boys and Dotty."

"Oh?"

"Daniel fell and cut himself."

"On _grass_??"

Jack smiled.

"Yup. It's not serious, just a scratch. He's fine."

Leave it to Daniel. Sam rolled her eyes, and looked over at Janet, who was watching her impatiently.

"I better go, Jack... Thanks for letting me know about Daniel."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sam."

"Yes, you will. I love you."

Jack smiled. God, he was getting soft in his old age. He'd never have felt so gooey inside at a simple phrase before.

"I love you, too."

He held the phone a moment, even after the line went dead, and couldn't help but smile as he finally set it down. He looked at Jaffer, who was waiting for a treat. Maybe they'd survive the night, after all.

"Is everything all right?" Janet asked as Sam hung up the phone.

Carter nodded.

"I guess Daniel cut himself playing football and Jack wanted to let me know."

That wasn't a complete lie, so Sam didn't even feel guilty for saying it.

Well, it was _hardly_ an emergency, but Janet was mollified, and nodded.


	5. 05

They had a light dinner – well, light for them – and then the two lounged on the sofa for a while, supposedly watching TV, but Jack couldn't get interested in anything on. He was sprawled on the couch, using Jaffer's warm body as a pillow. The black lab didn't mind, of course. He liked it when Jack leaned on him like that. It was part of his job to be a pillow, after all. The two were pretty much just doing what Sam had told them to do. Spending time together.

Jack could have gotten up and sought out Daniel or something. His best man had called him twice that night – supposedly to make sure that Jack wasn't getting cold feet, but Jack was pretty sure Daniel himself was almost as nervous as he was. He could have gone over to Hammond's. The General had invited him over for the night, thinking that Jack shouldn't be alone. But Jack had assured him that he wasn't alone. He had Jaffer. His hand stroked the silky black hide lovingly, and Jaffer responded by wuffling Jack's ear messily.

"Let's go to bed, little man," Jack said. He wasn't watching the ballgame. Had someone asked, he wouldn't have been able to tell them who was playing without sneaking a peek at the TV. He was just going through the motions, trying to keep his mind off the wedding to come.

Not because he was nervous. Jack knew he wanted to marry Sam. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that she was the woman he wanted to settle down with for the rest of his life. He was just a little scared, he supposed. He'd been married once, and it hadn't lasted. What if he did something to ruin what he had with Sam? Jack was well aware of his own shortcomings, after all. Sam was patient and forgiving, but what if he did something so bad that it was unforgivable? Like he'd done when he'd allowed Charlie a chance at his gun?

Jack got up, trying to shake his suddenly melancholy mood. That wasn't going to happen. He was smarter, now. Wiser. He took Jaffer out back and spent a few more quiet minutes with the evening while waiting for the lab to wander the back yard, making sure nothing had been misplaced, and searching for the perfect place to pee. What had happened with Charlie had been an accident. A terrible one that Jack always blamed on himself – and always would – but it wasn't going to happen again.

Of course, it _almost_ had. When Shawn had managed to get hold of Jack's Beretta at camp. Nothing had happened that night, but it so easily could have that Jack felt a cold chill that belied the mild evening. Shawn could have shot himself that night. Could have shot Jack, too, for that matter, although Jack wasn't at all concerned about himself. What if he and Sam had a son? Would it happen again?

Jaffer came rushing over to Jack, wagging his tail and looking up at O'Neill so cheerfully that Jack was pulled from his bleak thoughts. He smiled down at the lab, ruffling his ears.

"Everything okay, Jaffer?"

Jaffer snorted. Everything was _fine_! Nothing would dare come into his yard without permission! Unfortunately, that included stray pizzas and chicken nuggets.

"Ready for bed?"

Jack was. He didn't want to mull over the memories that were tumbling through his mind just then. He wondered why he always thought of bleak things like that when he should be focusing on the positives. Sam was going to marry him, after all, for God's sake. How could _that_ be bad? It wasn't. It was great. His life was about as complete as Jack had ever imagined that it could be – or it would be anyways. A brilliant, beautiful wife. A great dog. Even his work was going good just then – he and his team hadn't been involved in anything too serious for weeks and weeks.

Jaffer stuck his nose in Jack's hand, pulling Jack from his thoughts once more, and Jack shook his head. Was he just waiting for something to happen? Were things were so good that Jack just couldn't believe they were going to stay that way? Jack frowned, and headed inside, again trying to shake his moodiness, and wishing Sam was there to talk to. She'd know what to say to him to make things better. She was an expert at easing Jack's concerns – those few times that Jack actually let her in on them.

This was all Janet's fault.

He made sure Jaffer's food dish was full – in case the lab woke up wanting a snack in the middle of the night – then headed for bed. Jaffer jumped up on the bed and watched as Jack undressed, and the big dog made room for him when Jack slid under the blankets with a sigh. Sensing Jack's bleak mood, Jaffer stretched out with his head on O'Neill's belly – a sure sign that he wanted to be petted and cuddled, and Jack responded by running his hand along the silky black coat.

Stroking Jaffer was soothing, and Jack was able to refocus his thoughts while doing it. There was a lot more positive in his life than negative, and he knew it. He was just being moody. He was good at that, after all. Didn't Sam always say that? Jaffer snorted, causing Jack to smile in the dark. He wondered how one man could manage to have the best dog in the world, and the best fiancé. Soon to be the best wife.

He looked at his watch, and debated calling Sam. Janet probably wouldn't let him talk to her, though. _Stupid customs_. Jack scowled in the dark, and that made him feel better. His hand ran along Jaffer's jowls and he scratched the dog's ears for a moment before moving once more to his shoulder and side. Jaffer sighed in the dark, and Jack echoed the noise, closing his eyes. He needed to sleep. Needed to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the next day. He snorted, but forced his mind to clear a bit, and made himself relax. Despite his concerns and brooding thoughts, Jack managed to fall into a troubled sleep fairly quickly.

_"Jack..."_

_His brooding thoughts had followed him into sleep, and had been plaguing him in the form of uneasy dreams, but they were all shattered when the deep, masculine voice spoke into Jack's mind. O'Neill opened his eyes, but he didn't see anything._

_"Hmmm?"_

_"Stop being so nervous, Jack... I won't let anything happen to you."_

_"I'm not nervous."_

_There was a gentle wave of amusement, and Jack couldn't help but smile, even though he knew this was a dream._

_"Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous. Sam deserves more than what she's getting."_

_"Sam loves you."_

_"I know."_

_"I love you."_

_"I know."_

_How could he not know? He could feel the love spreading a gentle warmth through him that was driving all his fears and concerns away. Nothing bad could stay close to a love like that._

_"You're a good man. Sam sees it, even if you don't."_

_"She doesn't know-"_

_"She knows. She knows a lot more than you think she does. She just doesn't care. And neither do I."_

_Jack frowned, and again he felt that gentle amusement._

_"Sleep, Jack. Tomorrow's a busy day, and you need to be fresh. Sam might not mind you yawning through the wedding, but Janet Fraiser wouldn't approve."_

_"She won't let me talk to Sam..."_

_"I know. You'll see her in the morning, though. Go to sleep."_

_He couldn't have resisted if he wanted to, and he really didn't want to. He closed his eyes – eyes that hadn't actually been open – and settled into a deeper sleep, the troubled dreams fading and the loving Presence blanketing him in gentle warmth._

_"Can you tell her I love her?"_

_"It doesn't work like that, Jack..." The voice chided, amused._

_"Come on..."_

_"Fine... go to sleep."_

He did_._

..............

In a spare bedroom on the other side of town, Samantha Carter was having troubled dreams of her own. She was nervous, and even though she was excited about what was to come the next day, she was also very aware that her relationship with Jack was going to change the moment she said 'I do'. And it was a little scary. What ifs kept running through her mind. What if she wasn't what he'd been looking for? What if she didn't make him as happy as she wanted to? What if-

_"Sam..."_

She didn't wake, but she was suddenly aware of someone close by. Someone that seemed familiar, although she'd never heard the deep voice before.

_"Jack loves you. You make him happy just being in the same room with him. Now go to sleep."_

She sighed, softly, feeling as though someone had just thrown a warm blanket fresh from the dryer over her, and her troubled dreams faded, leaving her sleeping peacefully, well aware that Jack loved her, and secure in the knowledge that no matter what happened, he was hers, and she was his.

The Presence stayed with her long enough to make sure she was asleep once more, then Sam was alone, again. But still she was swathed in love, and the bad dreams stayed away.


	6. 06

**5:30 AM**

Jaffer had planned on allowing Jack to sleep in just a little. Normally the black lab would have wanted out about 5:30 or so, but when he woke up, he didn't need to go so badly, and looking over at Jack, who was cuddling up to him, Jaffer's doggie genius mind decided that a little extra sleep wouldn't be such a _bad_ idea. Then the choice was taken from him. A slightly painful vibration deep in his head caused Jaffer to growl softly, and a moment later there was a flash of light, and he and Jack were no longer in Jack's bedroom.

The change of scenery woke Jack instantly. One minute he'd been asleep in his bed, warmly snuggled up against Jaffer, the next moment he'd heard a slight growl – something that would have woken him from the dead when it came from Jaffer – and _then_ he was lying on the floor of the bridge of Thor's battle cruiser. Or whatever it was Shawn had told him it was called. He sat up, and looked around. Jaffer was still with him – Thor had learned _that_ much at least, but he could have given Jack some warning. At least enough to put some clothes on.

The little alien was nowhere to be seen. Jaffer scrambled to his feet. Jack stayed where he was, trying to wake up, and trying to control his irritation. He wasn't going to blow a gasket on his wedding day.

"Thor!"

Then the Asgard walked through the door of the bridge, and Jack couldn't help the grin that split his face. Thor was dressed in a well-fitting suit of Navy blue. He was wearing slacks, a white button down shirt, and a jacket – all of which looked amazingly normal on him.

"Greetings, O'Neill."

"Thor." Jack couldn't help the double-take and then the triple-take he took. "You... you look great."

He did, too. From the neck down, Thor could have been any very small human – or human child – wearing a Sunday outfit. Of course, the big head, and the dark, fathomless eyes definitely gave you a clue that he wasn't, but it was an amazing transformation.

"Thank you, O'Neill. Andrew and Shawn have helped us immensely in our preparations for your wedding."

"I'm just glad you can come."

_That_ had been something Jack had insisted upon. By his way of thinking, if the Jaffa and Tok'ra were coming to his wedding, then Thor was coming as well. Hell, Jack didn't even _like_ most of the Tok'ra, or the Jaffa – although there were a few exceptions. He _did_ like Thor, and most of the Asgard. If they wanted to come, the humans would damn well figure out a way to allow them to attend.

The church itself had provided the solution. It was a large church, and there was a special room up in the balcony for people who had babies that might fuss. The parent could take their baby to this small room, which was completely closed off on all sides except for the front wall, which was soundproof glass and opened out to the front of the balcony. Jack supposed it was closed so that the squirming baby wouldn't be a distraction to the other church members, and the soundproofing was obviously to keep from having crying overwhelm the preacher's voice, but the room was perfect for the Asgard to use for the ceremony. They – whoever came – could beam themselves directly into the room, and with a guard on the door, no one would go inside unless it was someone who wouldn't be surprised at finding naked, bald aliens watching the wedding.

Of course, they _weren't_ naked. They had apparently asked Shawn what humans wore to weddings, and Shawn and Andrew had taken them under their wings and provided them with clothes. No doubt with help from Dotty, who knew all about the Asgard, although the Asgard had not been informed that she knew about them, nor had they been told her true nature.

"We are looking forward to the ceremony, O'Neill," Thor said, turning as two other Asgard entered the bridge, both dressed similarly to Thor. Jack didn't recognize either of these two – all the Asgard looked a lot alike to him – but they bowed respectfully to him when they saw him. "Is that what you are wearing?" Thor asked.

Jack looked down at himself, and scowled.

"No. You woke me up. I was still in bed. How about beaming me up some clothes?"

Thor touched a panel on the wall and a moment later Jaffer growled softly again, and a pile of clothes appeared beside Jack. Far more than he needed, but it was better than not enough. He pulled on the jeans and shirt, and stood up, looking around and feeling a little better.

"Thanks."

Jaffer walked over to Thor, who put his hand on the black lab's shoulder. The big dog easily outweighed the Asgard by at least 60 pounds, and came up to his head, but Jaffer liked Thor – mainly because Jack did – and Thor was fond of the dog as well, and had watched him grow from a gangling puppy to a huge creature that he'd been told could be fierce when he was being protective. Thor had never seen a demonstration of this protectiveness, but he believed it.

"We wanted to make sure you were aware of our presence above your planet, and wanted to make sure what we were wearing was suitable."

"You look great." Jack repeated. "I just wish you could come to the reception afterward."

"We really do not have that much free time, O'Neill. The wedding will be enough for us, and we are pleased that you thought to invite us."

"Couldn't get married without my residential little gray men peeking over my shoulder," Jack said, smiling.

Thor handed Jack a small communications device, ignoring the comment about the little gray men.

"When the room is secured and you are ready for us, please call, and we will come."

"I'll do that."

"You must have much to do, so we will delay you no further."

With that as a goodbye, Jaffer growled again, and a moment later he and Jack were back in O'Neill's bedroom, standing next to the bed.

"You know," Jack said to Jaffer, looking down at the device in his hand. "I want one of those beam me up things."

Jaffer wagged his tail. _He_ didn't. They hurt his head. He headed for the door. Since Jack was up, he might as well let him out, right?

Smiling, Jack followed the black lab out of the bedroom. He couldn't wait to see Sam's reaction when she saw Thor in his suit.


	7. 07

**6 AM**

The phone rang as Jack was debating whether he wanted to eat breakfast at home or maybe go to Daniel's and see what he was eating. Jack wasn't all that hungry anyways. He reached for the phone and turned it on as he went over to let Jaffer in.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

Jack smiled, pleased, when he heard Sam's voice on the other line.

"Hi, Sam. How are you?"

"I'm fine. A little nervous, but fine."

"Are you _supposed_ to be talking to me?" Jack was glad to hear he wasn't the only one that was nervous.

"Nope."

"I'm glad you called."

"Oh?"

"I miss you."

"I was pretty lonely last night, myself," Sam admitted, and Jack could hear in her voice that he'd pleased her with his comment. Which was good, since he loved to make her happy. He smiled, and rubbed Jaffer's ears.

"Where's Janet?"

"She's taking a shower."

"I'm surprised she didn't take the phone cord with her."

Sam laughed.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you. I'd better go before she gets out."

"I love you, too."

"I'll see you at 11."

"I'll be there."

She hung up, and he looked at his watch. It was already 6.

'I'm going to be married in 5 hours," He told Jaffer. Who had time for breakfast? There were a _million_ things he had to do.

Jaffer wagged his tail, but before Jack could say something else to the lab, the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Jack, it's Daniel."

"Hey Daniel. What's up?"

"Have you had breakfast?"

"No. I just got up."

"Sally wants to make you breakfast. Want to come over?"

"To your place?"

"To hers."

Jack smiled, wondering if Daniel had just arrived at Sally's or if he'd been there all night. Of course, that wasn't any of his business, and he knew it, but it was fun to speculate.

"We don't really have a lot of time, Daniel..."

"Bring your uniform over here, Jack. My clothes are here, and we can get dressed and go to the church from here. Hammond is taking care of security, and Dotty and James are picking up the boys, Gina's mom is getting the girls, and Sam's with Janet and Cassie. Everything's running smooth. We have plenty of time." There was a pause. "Unless you're too nervous to eat?"

Jack scowled.

"I'm _never_ too nervous to eat."

Daniel laughed.

"Come over, Jack. Don't forget the ring."

Jack looked down at Jaffer and shrugged.

"Fine. We'll be there in a bit."

He hung up.

"You can have breakfast while I shower, and then we'll go have seconds at Sally's, okay?"

Jaffer wagged his tail. That sounded like a plan to him!

Jack filled the lab's bowl with kibble, and then headed for the shower.

............

An hour later, they were pulling up in front of Sally's house. Jack parked the truck behind Daniel's car, and got out. He opened Jaffer's door so the black lab could jump down from the passenger's seat, then reached in and pulled out the plastic draped garment bag that held his dress uniform. He wasn't planning on putting it on until just before the wedding, since sure as shit the minute he did, he was going to spill something on it. He also double-checked his pocket to make sure the small box that held Sam's wedding ring was still there, and then he grabbed the shoebox that held his shiny shoes. He _hated_ getting dressed up, but Sam was definitely worth it.

"Jack!"

The front door opened, and Sally was standing there, wearing slacks and a blouse. She wasn't going to be in the wedding party. Jack and Sam had both asked her to be, but Sally had taken the same stance Teal'c had; she wanted to be able to enjoy watching her friends get married, and that meant not doing anything important. She'd help out where she was needed, but she didn't want to have to do anything important.

Jaffer rushed up to Sally, his tail wagging and his eyes cheerful, and Sally gave him a good scratching as she waited for Jack to make his way up the sidewalk, carrying his uniform and his shoes.

"Morning, Sally." He gave her a slight smile, which broadened slightly when she stopped him so she could kiss his cheek.

"Good morning, Jack. How are you? Nervous?"

"What? Nervous? Me?" Jack shrugged, and looked over her shoulder to see if Daniel was around. When he didn't see him, he shrugged again. "Scared shitless."

Sally laughed, and took his uniform from him.

"I'll go hang this up for you. Daniel's in the kitchen."

"_He's_ not cooking, is he?"

"Of course not." She told him, taking his shoebox. "He's feeding Binky."

Jaffer slipped past Jack and into the house, and Sally and Jack made a slightly more controlled entrance. "Go say hi, I'll be right there."

"Okay."

He closed the door behind him, and followed Jaffer, who was already headed for the kitchen.


	8. 08

Author's note: Binky is older now... he's not the baby kitty he used to be. But we're skipping the meeting between Jaffer and cat for now, to focus on other things.

.........................

**9AM**

"Are the girls all here?"

Janet nodded, smiling as reassuringly as she could. Sam looked more nervous than she'd ever seen her look before.

"Don't worry, Sam. They're all getting dressed, now. Everything's going to be _perfect_, you'll see."

"I feel like I'm going to throw up."

Cassandra patted Sam's hand.

"You're going to be fine, Sam. It's just _Jack_, after all. You already know how he feels about you."

Sam nodded, but still she couldn't stop the butterflies that were swirling in her stomach. Just Jack, sure. But the biggest day of her life, she knew. And she was certain something was going to go wrong. Something always went wrong. Most of the time.

"Relax, Sam. You're making me nervous."

Carter gave Janet a tight smile, but she was still pale, and Janet frowned.

"I could give you something..."

"Dope her up before the wedding?" Cassandra asked, giggling.

"Nothing too strong, just something to make her relax."

Sam shook her head.

"It's okay, Janet. I... I'll be okay. I'm just being dumb. I wish I could talk to him, though..."

Fraiser frowned, but reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

"Call him, then. But only for a few minutes, okay?" It was better than having her throw up.

Sam took the phone gratefully, and dialed the house. No one answered though.

"He must be at Daniel's."

"Call his cell phone, Sam," Janet told her. Otherwise they'd be spending all day tracking the man down, and they didn't have all day. Had she been thinking straight, Sam would have called it first.

Sam nodded and dialed Jack's cell phone, and smiled when he picked up on the first ring.

"O'Neill."

"Colonel _Jack_ O'Neill?" Sam tried to disguise her voice, but there was no way Jack wasn't going to recognize her voice. "This is the Boulder Police Department, and I'm calling to inform you that your bride to be has just been seen going at a full run past the city limits..."

"Don't even _joke_ about that, Sam," Jack told her, his voice sounding almost as panicked as Sam's felt. "I keep expecting Janet to call and tell me you've changed your mind."

"Never."

She smiled; glad she wasn't the only one who was nervous. He'd been married before, after all, and she'd expected him to be as cool as the other side of the pillow. He didn't sound anywhere near so cool, though.

"Where are you?" He asked, wanting to hear her voice some more.

"At the church, just starting to get dressed. You?"

At that moment, the door to the dressing room – the _bride's room_ as the sign on the door called it – was nudged open, and a large black head stuck itself through the space. Jaffer's brown eyes looked around cheerfully, and Janet scowled, even as Sam smiled broadly.

"We just got here." Jack said.

"Jaffer just made an appearance," Sam told him, gesturing for the lab to come over and see her.

"I was wondering where he was going..."

"Tell Colonel O'Neill he'd better not be on the other side of that door," Janet said, walking past Sam and Jaffer and over to the door, looking out it, and then closing it firmly.

Sam smiled again, one hand holding the phone, the other stroking Jaffer's ears. She felt better already.

"You're not on the other side of the door, are you?"

"No. I'm watching Daniel and Teal'c get the boys dressed. They look so sharp. Daniel won't let me near your dressing room, so chances are I won't see you until you're walking down the aisle."

"I can't wait..."

"Me, either, Sam. Send Jaffer back to me if he gets in the way."

"I will." She started to hang up, but he wasn't finished.

"Hey, Sam..."

"Hmmm?"

"I love you. Don't doubt that for a second, okay?"

She smiled so brilliantly that Janet and Cassie both smiled as well, and they both had to wonder what Jack had said to her to make her smile like that.

"I won't, Jack. I'll see you soon."

She hung up, and handed Janet's phone back to her.

"They're in the church."

"_Obviously_."

"He's watching the boys get dressed, and says Daniel won't let him near us, so don't worry, Janet."

"Did he send Jaffer to check on you?"

Sam smiled, and rubbed the black lab's ears. He had been brushed out until his normally glossy black coat was even shinier than usual, and his brown eyes were so cheerful she couldn't imagine being nervous or scared with him around her.

"I think he just came on his own."

"Well, send him back to the Colonel. We have to get you dressed, and we don't have time to trip over him."

"He wouldn't be in the way..."

"Sam..."

"_Fine_."

She kissed Jaffer's nose, avoiding his quick tongue.

"You'd better get back to Jack, little man." Sam murmured, reaching for her purse. "But before you go..."

..............

"Stop looking so nervous, Jack."

O'Neill scowled at Daniel, who was flanked by the boys. All of them were in various stags of dress, but all of them were smiling and looked excited. Far more excited than Jack felt.

"I'm not nervous."

"You _look_ nervous."

"I'm not."

"Shawn?" Daniel looked over at Shawn, who was the only boy fully dressed – except his bowtie. "Does he look nervous?"

"Jack's not nervous, Daniel." Shawn said, loyally. "He's going to marry Sam! How could that be something to be nervous about? So what if it's the _biggest_ day of his life... nothing to it!"

Jack frowned. "Thanks."

Shawn smiled, and went over to stand in front of Jack.

"Will you do my tie?"

Jack crouched down in front of Shawn, who was watching him with those dark eyes that were so much like his own.

"Don't be nervous, Jack," Shawn said, softly. "Sam's perfect for you."

"I'm working on it, Shawn."

Jack tied the boy's bowtie expertly, and then suppressed the urge to ruffle his hair. It was neatly combed, after all. Who was he to mess it up?

"You're set. Try not to get rumpled."

"Yeah," Said Andrew. "Otherwise _Gina_ won't want to walk with you."

The rest of the boys laughed, and Shawn colored, slightly, much to Jack's amusement. Jennifer was a thing of the past, and Shawn had found a new woman to set his sights on. An older woman, he was fond of saying. Of course, since Gina was all of fifteen, and Shawn was almost fourteen, Jack wasn't too concerned that they were going to be any kind of serious item. But it was fun to watch. And even more fun to speculate about.

"I hear she's looking pretty hot in her dress..." Devon said, laughing, although he was just a little jealous that he hadn't thought to ask Jack if he could walk with Gina down the aisle at the beginning of the wedding. Of all the girls that were going to be in the wedding, Gina was the cutest as far as the boys were concerned. And Danin was second best, and Andrew had already asked for her.

"She's always hot," William said. "She's-"

Whatever she was, it was interrupted when the door opened and Jaffer came trotting through, looking at the boys cheerfully, but making a beeline for Jack.

"They kicked you out _already_?" Jack asked, smiling as he reached out to scratch the black lab's ears. He noticed the piece of paper in Jaffer's brand new collar, then – it wasn't hard to miss a piece of folded white paper against the black of the dog and the collar, after all – and pulled it out. "What's this?"

Jaffer didn't answer. He just went over to Jack, who was stretched out near the wall, watching the boys and making sure nothing happened to his Teal'c, and flopped down beside him. His message was delivered, and all was well with the world.

"Read it Jack." Andrew said, as Jack unfolded it. He was just as curious as the others were, after all.

Jack smiled.

"It's from Sam. It says she loves me, and to tell you guys she'd see you soon."

They smiled, but Shawn had a feeling it said more than that. Jack had blushed, and since Shawn did a lot of blushing himself, lately, he knew it'd take more than Sam telling him she loved him to do it. He didn't ask, though, knowing that it was private.

"You'd better get dressed, Jack." Daniel said. "We're at one hour and counting."

Jack folded the paper carefully, and put it into his pocket.

"I'll see you guys in a bit."

"Good luck, Jack!"

He gave them a nervous smile, and left the room, Jaffer scrambling to his feet and following.


	9. 09

**9AM**

The gate flared and the security teams all got into position. They weren't expecting any trouble – since this was a scheduled return – but you never knew for sure, and the men were professionals. They held their guns high, and trained them on the Stargate, waiting to make sure they weren't going to have to fight it out with someone.

"It's SG-3, Sir." Davis told Hammond, who'd been looking over the Sergeant's shoulder.

Hammond nodded, "Open the iris."

The iris swooshed open, and Hammond reached the embarkation room just as the first people started coming through the gate. Sg-3 were in field gear, including weapons and vests, but the visitors were wearing dress clothing.

Jacob Carter led his small group of carefully chosen Tok'ra down the ramp. Carter was decked out in a full dress uniform, complete with a dazzling array of medals on his chest. The rest of the Tok'ra were wearing the outfits he'd brought them; conservative suits for the men, and a beautiful green gown for the lone woman. Hammond smiled to see the Tok'ra dressed so, but Jacob just ignored the grin.

"Sorry we're late, George," he said when he walked over and shook Hammond's hand. "We were having trouble with Anise's dress."

"It looks fine," Hammond said, giving the Tok'ra woman a nod of greeting.

"We couldn't figure out how to zip it up." Carter grinned. "It's been a long time since I've had to dress so formally, and even longer since I've helped a woman with her dress."

Hammond smiled as well, and then made a gesture that included all of the Tok'ra. "We're pleased you could attend this occasion, there are cars waiting to take you to the church."

"Are you coming with us?" Jacob asked.

"I've got to take care of a few things here, first. Then I'll be along."

He gestured for the Marine who was standing by in a formal dress uniform to head out, and the man politely asked the Tok'ra to follow him. He'd be their guide to the cars, where there were 2 Marines for each Tok'ra – more to keep them from wandering than anything else. It was a new experience for the military gards to allow the aliens off the base, and they weren't completely comfortable with it – no more than Hammond was. Of course, the Tok'ra had been carefully chosen by Jacob, so they weren't really the biggest concern, and the Jaffa that were coming were also carefully chosen by Bra'tac. The Tollans who were coming had been on Earth before and could be trusted – more or less – and the Asgard were pretty much able to do anything they wanted, but had proven themselves to be more than capable of staying out of trouble and able to keep their heads down and avoid discovery.

Hammond had decided that he'd send an SG team through the gate to each of the representative's worlds, and only when the all clear was given, would he open the gate for them to return. That was his last line of defense against some crazy system lord deciding to take advantage of such an unprecedented influx of people coming through the gate.

"SG-3, go get changed. There's a bus waiting topside, and you're the last group to get back."

"Yes, Sir."

Kelly Thorpe led his team out of the gate room, and they all hurried for the locker room, eager to get dressed for the wedding. The entire base was going to be shut down. There were no teams off-world, and the gate was going to be powered down with the iris intact to avoid any accidents. A huge force would guard the base from the top, of course, but it'd be nearly deserted from the inside. They had so few chances to get together in a happy setting, and this was such a big event – what with the President taking an interest in it and all – that everyone was getting a chance to go.

Hammond looked over his shoulder when the last of the Tok'ra had left the gate room.

"Close it down, Sergeant."

The gate was already disengaged, and it was a simple matter to power down all the systems that lead to it. They'd be able to turn it on quickly enough to get everyone home, but for now, no one would come in or go out.

"It's down, Sir."

"Head for the bus."

"Yes, Sir."

The Sergeant was already in his dress blues – since he hadn't had to worry about getting them messed up working the computer. He double-checked his computer to make sure everything was normal, then headed for the elevators, joining a small group of personnel that were already waiting.

Hammond headed for his office. He'd drive himself to the church, but he'd stick around, just to make sure none of his men – or women – missed the bus, and if they did, he'd take them. _His_ job was security, so he didn't have to be to the church early.

................

**10AM**

"Wow."

The girls hadn't had a chance to see Sam in her wedding dress, and she couldn't help but preen just a little at their reactions.

"You look beautiful, Sam." Danin told her. The other girls all added their agreement.

"Thanks."

"You should see all the people out there." Shelly said.

Shelly had sneaked out and looked around a little, and had watched as some of the guests had started to arrive. Most of them were in uniform.

"It's a big day," Gina said. "Everyone wants to see Jack and Sam get married."

"Why do some of them wear black uniforms and some wear blue?" Shelly asked.

"The ones in black are Marines. The ones in blue are in the Air Force."

"Jack should have been a Marine, Sam..." Shelly said, the fifteen year old smiling rather naughtily. "They look _soooo_ good in those uniforms!"

Now, of course, all the girls wanted to go take a peek, but Janet called them all to order, smiling.

"We've got to get in the right order," Janet said. "Do you all remember-"

She was interrupted when there was a soft knock at the door, and Cassie went over to see who it was. She smiled, and opened the door further, letting Jacob Carter into he room.

"Dad!"

Sam's dad walked over and gave her a careful hug, unwilling to get his medals snagged on any part of the beautiful dress his daughter was wearing.

"Sam, you look _wonderful_."

She blushed at the compliment, and Jacob thought it only made her look more beautiful. His eyes were warm as he thought back to the day he married her mother, and then more recently, to the day Sam had been born.

"Thanks. I feel a little overdressed, but everyone assures me this is what the bride is supposed to wear."

"It's perfect."

She blushed again, but her smile was brilliant, and she hugged him again.

"I'm so glad you could come."

"What? Miss the chance to give you away? Are you kidding?"

He smiled, and looked at the girls, all of who were watching him. None of them had met Sam's father, but she'd made it clear who he was.

"You girls look beautiful."

Now they were all blushing, and Jacob grinned. He wondered how red they'd be if the young Marine that had escorted him into the church had told them that. The man was far better looking than an old warhorse, after all.

"I have to go find Jack. I'll see you in about 45 minutes."

"Okay, dad."

He took another look at her, decided that yes, she was the most perfect woman in the world and that no, Jack didn't deserve her, and then left to find his future son-in-law.


	10. 10

10:30AM  
  
Okay, now he was truly starting to panic. Jack was alone, now. He'd be standing up on the stage by the alter alone, waiting for the rest of the wedding party to join him, and Daniel had gone off with the boys to get them in the proper position. They'd all rehearsed this only a couple of days before, and Jack and Daniel had complete faith in the boys - who would be led by Shawn - but it was better to make sure, and as best man, this fell into Daniel's job description.  
  
Even Jaffer was gone. The black lab had his own part in the ceremony, and he was off with Daniel, being put into the proper position. Jack didn't even have his best friend there to help soothe him.  
  
"Jack."  
  
He almost leaped out of his shoes when he heard Jacob say his name. He turned on the older man, scowling, and it didn't help that Jacob was grinning.  
  
"Jesus, Jacob. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
He didn't look sorry, Jack decided.  
  
"Relax, Jack."  
  
"I'm trying."  
  
"It'll be fine."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You have the ring?"  
  
Jack nodded, and felt in his pocket for it, just to make sure.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You look good."  
  
He did look good. Jack's dress uniform was spotless and perfectly tailored to his frame. The buttons and brass were shining, and the display of ribbons on his chest were just as impressive as the ones on Jacob's. It was amazing how many ribbons you could get for saving the world time after time. Not to mention the ones Jack had earned long before he'd even heard of the Stargate.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"I just saw Sam."  
  
There was a sudden look of panic in Jack's eyes.  
  
"She hasn't changed her mind, has she?"  
  
Jacob smiled. The man was in a complete panic!  
  
"No. And she looks stunning. Try not to let your jaw drop too hard on the floor when you see her."  
  
"I'll do my best."  
  
"You really need to relax a bit, Jack." Jacob said, putting his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "It's supposed to be the best day of your life - and the best day of Sam's - try not to ruin that by dropping dead, okay?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"I'll work on that."  
  
Jacob smiled and shook his head.  
  
"I need to go get in my place. It should be starting soon."  
  
Jack nodded again, but didn't say anything.  
  
"You'll be fine." Jacob tried, again. Hoping to get him to relax a little. O'Neill was wound up tighter than Jacob had ever seen him.  
  
"I know."  
  
He did know. He was just trying to remind himself of that.  
  
Jacob gave up.  
  
"I'll see you soon."  
  
Jack nodded, again. It seemed like it was all he could do.  
  
Jacob left and Jack was alone again. But only for a moment.  
  
"We're ready for the Asgard, Sir…"  
  
Jack turned and saw that a young Marine Lance Corporal had come up to him and he nodded. He pulled the communicator that Thor had given him from a pocket, and pressed it, hoping they'd know not to beam him up. Normally he wouldn't give this a second thought, but the Asgard had a tendency to be beam up happy sometimes, and Jack was usually on the receiving end of it.  
  
"They should be coming," He told the Marine a few minutes later. "Has Hammond arrived?"  
  
"He just came in, Sir."  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"You'd better go report to him."  
  
"Aye, aye, Sir."  
  
Jack sighed, and looked down at his watch for pretty much the millionth time that morning. Less than half an hour to go.  
  
"Are you ready, Colonel O'Neill?"  
  
He looked up and saw that the preacher had come up behind him. Amazed that everyone was sneaking up on him on a day when he was so wired, Jack just barely suppressed his scowl, and instead nodded.  
  
"I think so."  
  
The older man smiled, and patted his shoulder.  
  
"Don't be so nervous, young man. I've seen your bride, and she's beautiful."  
  
"Why do you think I'm so nervous?"  
  
The preacher smiled.  
  
"Let's go take a look at what we have going on, shall we?"  
  
The minister led Jack out to the front of the church, and the two of them stood at the alter. Since neither Jack or Sam had had a personal preference on which type of marriage ceremony to have, they'd settled on a traditional one - pretty much a normal wedding, and the ceremony performed by a Baptist minister that was a good friend of Gina's mother.  
  
Jack looked out over the crowd that was already assembled, and saw mostly Military uniforms. There was a lot of Air Force blue, and a large amount of Marine black. Also, though, there was a scattering of white where the occasional Navy man or woman was standing. In one back corner of the sanctuary, Jack saw the Jaffa delegation all dressed in sharp looking business suits, and hats pulled down low. They looked good.  
  
He saw the Tok'ra - complete with Anise, who looked as if she'd been poured into the dress she was wearing. She caught his eye and gave him a slight smile, and he nodded to her, politely. Yeah. He should have eloped.  
  
There were others in the crowd. Sam's brother was there with his wife. Dotty was standing next to James, smiling up at him so happily that Jack couldn't help but smile just a little. The woman had an infectious grin. He saw a few members of the Tollan, and saw Teal'c standing next to Sally, who was looking around at all the military personnel, no doubt wondering who was watching the store. At Teal'c's side was Jack, who was groomed to a shine, and was watching everything around him with interest, his sharp eyes not missing a thing.  
  
"Quite a crowd," the minister said, softly, looking around as well.  
  
Jack shrugged.  
  
"Yeah… well… I guess they all just can't believe I'm getting married, so they had to come and see for themselves." 


	11. 11

**11:05AM**

It was time. Sam's mouth was so dry she wasn't sure she'd even be able to talk to repeat her vows – that was assuming she didn't drop dead from pure nervousness before she even made it to the alter! Of course, she couldn't do that. It'd kill Jack if she left him standing there. How many times had he reminded her that he loved her? How many times had he – jokingly, although she knew better – asked her not to leave him standing there? God, like she'd ever change her mind! She couldn't understand why he was so terrified, but now she could, because she was just as scared. Apparently Jack was just quicker when it came to finding all the bad things that might have happened. Who said he wasn't a genius?

She watched as the kids lined up, waiting for their cues to head down the aisle. Then she smiled when she watched as one of the Marine dog handlers handed a basket of flowers down to Jaffer, who took it in his mouth by the specially designed handle. The black lab seemed to know exactly what he was doing, because he wasn't trying to eat the flowers, and he was behaving better than anyone ever could have anticipated. Except Jack, of course, who had insisted that Jaffer be in the wedding somewhere. The President had put his foot down, saying he didn't want the wedding to be a circus, and that there was no place for a dog in the ceremony, and Jack had flat out told the President that he'd elope with Sam and they could all take their wedding and their Military and shove them. After that, a place had been found for Jaffer in the ceremony.

Sam's nieces were on either side of Jaffer, both girls decked out in lovely dresses. They looked over at her and smiled as they were told it was time. The music was starting to play. Sam gave them a nervous, forced smile, and they headed out into the sanctuary, taking flowers from the basket that Jaffer was holding, and spreading them carefully in the aisle as they walked slowly towards the front, where Jack and Daniel were waiting next to the preacher.

..............

Jack's smile was genuine when he saw Jaffer. The black lab was as big as the to girls that were throwing the flowers onto the floor, but he was behaving perfectly. When they reached about halfway down the aisle, Janet came into view, being escorted by General Hammond, who was wearing dress blues as well, and his impressive array of ribbons was completely overwhelmed by how lovely Janet looked on his arm.

Jack had never seen Janet dressed in anything but dress blues, and he had to wonder at that moment why the good doctor wasn't being chased by every single man on the base – and some of the married ones. From the looks on the faces of many of the men who were watching her and Hammond pass, the men were obviously wondering the same thing. Jack smiled, again.

Then the first of the kids came out into sight.

Jack's smile stayed right where it was, and while he was still nervous, he wasn't quite so scared. Shawn looked great. The tux looked superb on him, and he was walking with his head up, proud that he was in this wedding ceremony, and maybe just a little pleased about the young lady that was on his arm.

Gina was absolutely adorable. Her hair had been allowed to flow freely, and her dancer's body – which was just beginning to show curves of the woman she'd eventually become – was moving gracefully under the dress. She didn't walk so much as glide, next to Shawn.

Jack looked over at Daniel, who was watching the pair advance as well. The Colonel had to admit that Daniel cleaned up pretty well, too. He looked so sharp in his tuxedo that for the first time, Jack supposed he could understand why all the girls at camp tended to drift toward him. Of course, he wasn't Jack's type, but yeah, Jack could see the attraction. Maybe he could even understand why Sally put up with so much from him.

Maybe.

Jaffer had reached the steps that led up to the alter area that Jack, Daniel and the Preacher were standing on, and Jack grinned down at the lab, who was wagging his tail cheerfully. A motion from Jack – barely perceptible unless you knew what to look for – sent the black lab to the side to stand next to Daniel, and the two little girls walked over to sit in the very first pew, next to their parents. Their job was done.

A moment later Hammond deposited Janet at the steps leading up to the alter, and she gracefully walked up the steps to stand on the other side of Jack, leaving a conspicuous space between her and Jack. This was where Sam would stand. She smiled and Jack, and at Daniel, and the two men grinned.

"You look beautiful," Jack whispered, and Daniel and Jack both had the privilege of seeing her blush. That wasn't something that happened all that often!

Only a moment later, Shawn and Gina walked up, and separated, Gina going over to stand by Janet, Shawn going over to stand next to Jaffer, who wagged his tail in greeting when the boy came close to him. Shawn couldn't help himself; he reached down and scratched Jaffer's ears, watching as Danin and Andrew walked down the aisle, followed only a moment later by yet another pair. Each couple came slowly, and each couple separated at the stairs. Boys to the right, girls to the left, until there was no one left to come.

The music changed, suddenly, and everyone turned and stood up as Sam and Jacob appeared at the doorway. Jack felt his heartbeat increase, and Daniel reached out and took his friend's elbow, noticing that he paled.

"Easy..."

Jack nodded.

"I'm fine," He whispered back. He was, too. Just... nervous.

Daniel let him go, and Jacob and Sam started down the aisle. Jack's mouth was dry. Sam looked absolutely stunning, and he – once again – couldn't imagine what she was thinking marrying _him_. She smiled as soon as she got close, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

............

God, he looked even more nervous than she felt! Sam hadn't seen Jack that pale in a long time, and she knew that he was healthy and hale, so it had to be sheer terror. She could well understand what he was feeling; she was petrified. Only Jacob's solid presence next to her, and his strong arm to hold onto kept her from fainting, or worse – throwing up.

He looked so good! They all did. The boys were such good looking young men in their outfits, and the sea of Military dress uniforms could only make the men in the church look better. Daniel looked absolutely delicious in his tux, and Sam smiled because Jack looked better than all of them. Even if he did look pale.

Jacob smiled over at her, but Sam's eyes were only for Jack, now. She was close enough to see the gleam of love in his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat when he gave her a smile that was only for her. A smile that he very rarely showed in public and never in front of such a crowd. Of course, today was a special occasion, so there were always exceptions.

"I love you," Jacob whispered as he released her.

Sam turned to her dad, then, and smiled as he kissed her cheek carefully.

"I love you, too, dad."


	12. 12

If someone would have asked, Jack never would have been able to describe the ceremony to him. He was in a daze pretty much the whole time. He took Sam from Jacob with a smile, and the two of them had turned to the preacher who smiled reassuringly to both of them, then had started in on the actual wedding ceremony.

Janet had wanted them to write their own vows. Sam hadn't been interested in that, and Jack had absolutely panicked at the idea. Bad enough he was going to have to repeat what the preacher said, there was no way he was going to be able to read – or worse, _memorize_ – something of his own concocting. Janet had given way, and the two would go with the traditional vows, repeating what the preacher said to them. Now Jack was glad, since he knew he'd been right about not being able to focus enough on anything to be able to do his own vows. He couldn't believe he'd been able to get through the one the preacher led them in.

He said the words, watching Sam the entire time he swore to her that he'd take her and love her for the rest of his life, and when he finally pulled the ring from the pocket of his slacks and slid it on her finger, he saw in her eyes the realization that the ring he was presenting her with wasn't a new one – and she looked at him almost quizzically, until her whispered that it'd been her mother's. There were tears in her eyes when Sam glanced over at Jacob, and then took Jack's own wedding band from Janet and slid it on his finger as she repeated the vows the preacher led her through.

Jack smiled. Jacob had been right about giving Sam her mother's ring. No matter how much Jack had wanted to present her with a brand new ring, the one he gave her was perfect, and he knew it. As he slid the slightly worn ring on her finger next to the sparkling engagement ring he'd given her months before, Jack wondered how he ever could have thought a new one could have been better.

"_Do you, Jack O'Neill, take Samantha Carter to be your wife?"_

Jack couldn't say I do fast enough. As he said the words, he was looking directly in her eyes, the crowd of people behind them forgotten completely. Sam smiled, and looked down at the ring once more, then back up at him.

"_Do you, Samantha Carter, take Jack O'Neill to be your husband?"_

She nodded, and almost whispered the words, her hand in his, her eyes brilliant and sure as she took the last step towards becoming his wife and permanent partner. Something that was so long in coming she couldn't believe it was finally here.

"I do."

Jack's smile was a little relieved, and Sam couldn't help but smile as well. He couldn't _really_ believe that she'd say no at the last minute, could he? Well, yeah, it was obvious he _could_. She knew better, though. And now, he did as well.

"By the power given to me by the state of Colorado, I now pronounce you husband and wife..." The preacher smiled again, as if it were all _his_ doing that the two people standing in front of him looked so deliriously happy. "Kiss the bride."

Jack did just that.

"I love you..." he whispered as he leaned toward her and brushed his lips gently against hers. Sam smiled, and melted against him for just a moment. The two didn't stay too close for too long; all the ribbons on Jack's chest were far too capable of getting tangled with all the lace and frippery on Sam's dress, and as much as they wanted to be together, they didn't want to be stuck together.

The preacher waited until they'd separated, then addressed the crowd.

"May I be the first to present to you Jack and Samantha O'Neill?"

There was a roar of applause and cheers. One thing the Military did; it taught you how to yell, and the cheer that went up at those words raised the roof of that huge church. The alien delegates at first thought something was wrong, but looking around at the cheerful faces, they soon applauded along with the humans in the crowd. Obviously it was a good thing to present them?

Jack looked at the kids that were ranged out in front of them, and smiled. The kids were cheering just as loud as anyone, and Jack thought Shawn's hands were going to fall off he was clapping so hard. He reached for Sam's hand and held it, standing there for another long moment as the cheers rolled over he and his new bride – new bride! Then he led her carefully down the steps.

Jaffer broke ranks first, predictably, and went straight to Jack's side. Daniel smiled and offered his arm to Janet, and the two followed the newlyweds down the aisle, with the boys pairing up with the girls behind them for the short walk back to the back of the church.

There were shouts of congratulations as they walked past, and Jack grinned foolishly at everyone, thanking them and nodding his head a lot. He'd done it! He looked over at Sam. _They'd_ done it. He finally had proof that good things do come to those who wait. Jack had the _best_ of things, now.

"Samantha O'Neill..."

Sam grinned when she heard Jack whisper the words, even over the crowd of people who were yelling at them as they walked past. She looked over at him, and squeezed his hand.

"Sam O'Neill..." She murmured. "Major O'Neill?"

Jack smiled. "Major and Colonel O'Neill..." He was positively giddy. "_That_ could get complicated."

"Just wait until they promote me to Lt. Colonel someday," Sam told him, smiling. There was no doubt in her mind it would happen, eventually. There wasn't any doubt in Jack's, either.

"Well, at least we won't have to change the mailbox."

Sam laughed, and slid her arm around his waist.

"You did good, Jack."

"I was terrified..."

"I know. Me too."

"I don't believe you."

"I was."

"Uh huh." She'd looked far calmer than he'd felt.

Sam looked down at the ring on her finger. She'd have to thank her father for that. How on earth had he come up with such a wonderful surprise? Sam hadn't even considered her mother's ring. Obviously, Jacob had had a different plan. She wondered how long Jack had been keeping it a secret. He was far better at secrets than she'd ever given him credit for.

"So, we make it through the reception, and we're home free..." Jack said as they reached the door of the church. There was a long black limousine waiting to take them to the hall where the reception would be.

"It's just a reception, Jack," Sam said, smiling as the three of them headed down the stairs, Jack holding Sam carefully so she wouldn't trip over her dress. "We've already done all the hard stuff."


	13. 13

The man who designed Sam's wedding dress was a genius. He'd known that after the wedding there was a reception, and that she wasn't going to want to be weighed down when there was dancing and feasting going on. So he'd made it so the heavy stuff – which was most of the embroidered things, and all the layers – came off with a few simple fasteners. As they rode in the limo over to the reception hall, Jack helped Sam with these fasteners, so by the time they emerged from the limo a half hour later, the fancy wedding gown Sam had been wearing was now a plain, yet elegant white gown that was form fitting, but wasn't bulky. She was ready to dance and enjoy the party that her friends were throwing her and her husband.

The building they were having the reception at was a large one. It was downtown, and nestled up against a bank on one side and a popular Italian restaurant on the other. The front of the building was beautiful, with columns and pillars and all sorts of complicated designs, but Jack didn't care about any of that. He had eyes only for Sam.

As they walked up the steps, with her arm in his and Jaffer trotting happily on his other side, he decided that today was probably the best day of his life. And it was barely 1 o'clock.

"Are you warm enough?" He asked. It was the end of summer, but even though the sun was shining, there was a definite nip in the air once they entered the air-conditioned building.

Sam nodded.

"I'm fine."

He put his arm around her anyways, just because he could, and she leaned into him as they walked down the hall, the only noise in the air the sound of their shoes and Jaffer's claws on the tile.

"Our flight leaves at 6," Jack said, leaning over and brushing a kiss against her temple. "So make sure you're ready to go by five, okay?" He didn't really know how long receptions lasted – since weddings weren't really his thing – but he figured four hours was plenty of time to eat cake, dance and open wedding gifts.

"I'll be ready whenever you are."

A moment later they heard the quiet buzz of a large group of people in a less than formal setting, and Jack guided Sam to the room where their reception was taking place. Amazingly enough, everyone at the wedding had arrived before them – probably because the limo driver had been told to go slowly – and when the three of them walked into the room another loud cheer went up – this time led by the Jaffa who still had their hats on tight.

Jack grinned, looking around. The room was filled with people – almost all of them military. Which only made sense. Of course, there were also a bunch of younger people, since the kids had all been brought over by various parents or friends, and they were still dressed in their finery, which was fine with Jack. There were still wedding photos to be taken, after all. Preferably before they had a chance to get smudged.

Daniel came forward and took Sam's hand, taking her away from Jack, who scowled. The scowl faded, though, when Janet came over and took Jack's hand and led him into the room and among the partygoers.

"You'll have plenty of time alone with her later, Colonel," Janet told him, smiling. "For now, you have to share her."

Jack slid his arm around Janet's waist, smiling.

"I suppose since the substitution is so beautiful, I'll put up with it this time," he said, grinning because Janet blushed again. "What's the agenda for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Wedding photos, first. Then the cutting of the cake, then the first dance – just you and Sam."

Jack nodded. He'd known that he was going to have the first dance with Sam, and he was prepared. Not only had he and Sam been dancing with Gina for almost three years now – so they were terrific together – he even had a special song picked out to dance to. Slow, but not too slow, and exactly right.

"Then we eat, and Sam throws the bouquet, and then you guys open your presents and leave before you have to help clean up the mess."

"Sounds good."

"I thought you'd like that."

Jack smiled.

"Jack! Over here!"

The photographer was standing next to Sam and Daniel, talking to them, and Dotty was rounding up all the kids with the help of Hammond and Jacob. "Let's get the pictures taken care of, okay?"

"Whatever you want, Daniel."

They started lining up for pictures.

.....................

The men were dangerous. Vicious and brutal, they were also desperate, and that more than anything was what made them so dangerous. Two were drug addicts who needed money for their next score. Even better – they needed enough money to buy enough to last them for a few days. One of the men was an escaped felon who needed money to bankroll his way down to Mexico where he'd live the rest of his life in a non-extradition town and maybe find himself some nice senorita to settle down with. The fourth man wasn't as desperate, he just liked to hurt people, and he loved to scare them first. He was the most dangerous of all.

They needed money, and the bank was the perfect target. It was downtown, yes, but nowhere near a police station – and they'd checked the police patrols and none of them came close to the bank. They figured they'd have a good ten minutes to get in, get the money and get out.

They left one man – the felon – out in the car. He'd be their getaway driver. The other three walked into the bank, wearing long jackets on a nice day – which should have alerted the guards immediately. It didn't, though. No more than a minute after walking into the bank and taking a quick look around to make sure there were no cops on their lunch break doing any Saturday afternoon banking the three men pulled shotguns out from under their coats and yelled for everyone to get down. This order was punctuated when the leader of the little gang fired his shotgun up at the ceiling, enjoying immensely the way a few of the patrons screamed in terror at the noise.

Everyone went to the floor, and the holdup was almost exactly like you'd see in a movie. The tellers handed over the money in the bags the two addicts were holding while the leader covered the crowd with his guns, and then the three of them headed for the door.

What they hadn't been expecting was the silent alarm that one of the tellers had managed to press. She'd seen the men coming into the bank with coats on a nice day, and unlike the guards, she'd been suspicious. With her hand already on the button, it had been a simple matter to press it the moment the situation had presented itself to be an actual robbery. By the time the men had reached her station, her hands were well away from the button and they were none the wiser. But the police were already on the way.

The men headed out the door, and at the exact same moment the getaway driver saw a piloce cruiser pull up, lights flashing but the sirens off. This was to keep their presence a secret as long as they could and hopefully to keep the bank robbery from turning into any kind of hostage situation. The getaway driver had simply started his car and headed out of the parking lot at a normal speed, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He escaped easily, but he left three desperate men even more desperate, since now they didn't have an escape route. The cruiser screeched to a halt near the men running out of the bank, and an officer got out, reaching for his gun.

"_Stop_!"

Yeah. That never worked in the movies, and it certainly wasn't going to work in real life.

The leader hastily fired a shot off, and both cops ducked back behind their car.

"This way!"

They all three headed for the first open door they saw. An open door at the top of a small set of steps of a big building with a lot of columns and pillars.


	14. 14

"That's the last of them," The photographer said, already putting the lens cap on his very expensive camera. The man was a pro when it came to taking pictures – only the best was acceptable when it came to a wedding that was so interesting to the President of the United States, after all – and he'd been dealing with kids and dogs for a long time, and he had to admit that the kids he was taking pictures of where by far the easiest he'd ever had to deal with. Hell, even the _dogs _had behaved well, and that was almost unheard of. Of course, he'd never heard of having a dog in a wedding, anyways – although that black lab was by far the most gorgeous creature the photographer had ever seen.

"Thanks," Jack said, breathing a sigh of relief as he reached up and loosened his tie. He waved the kids off, telling them to go get something to drink – but not to get into trouble – and then turned to the adults. Hammond, Jacob and Sam were already breaking off from the main group, and Jack frowned.

"Hey, where ya going?"

"To get something to drink."

"You're _supposed_ to be getting ready to dance with me."

Sam smiled and walked over to him.

"Let me get a drink, first." She told him. "You don't want me to faint from thirst in your arms, do you?"

"Well... no."

"Besides, that dress was heavy. I'll be right back." She turned back to her dad and Hammond, but Jack reached out and gently caught her arm and pulled her back into his arms, much to the pleased amusement of all those watching. This was a side of him that didn't come out very often!

"Don't make me wait long, Sam," he whispered, pressing his lips against her ear in a way that made Sam shiver slightly. "I have a special song for us to dance to."

She smiled and kissed him lightly.

"I'll be right back."

.............

Shawn was the epitome of cool at that moment. He caught a quick glance of himself in the big mirror that ran the length of one of the walls, and smiled, thinking that with the tuxedo on he looked a _lot_ like James Bond. He couldn't help but pose, just for a second, wondering how much different – and better – he'd look in Air Force dress blues. A uniform was even cooler than a tux, especially if you wanted to impress a girl. And Shawn very much wanted to impress a girl just then.

The girl in question chose that moment to walk by, and she couldn't help but see the pose. She laughed, and Shawn flushed a brilliant red.

"What are you _doing_?" Gina asked.

"Um... checking my tie." God, he wished he was _anywhere_ but there! How could he have let her _catch_ him doing that? "I thought it was crooked."

Gina reached over and tugged on it lightly. Shawn was a well grown fourteen, and Gina was still fairly small for her age, so they were about the same height despite the year difference in their ages.

"It looks _fine_, Shawn."

He blushed again, and Gina thought at that moment Shawn looked a lot like Jack. Especially around the eyes. Of course, she heard that when you spend a lot of time with someone, you tended to look a little like them, so maybe that was it.

"Thanks." Shawn cast about for something to say that was at least a little better than that – anything to get her to forget catching him posing. "Um... you want something to drink?"

"Sure."

They walked towards the table.

"Are you nervous about going away to school?" Gina asked him.

Shawn shook his head, trying to look nonchalant.

"I'm excited, mostly."

"The kids will all be a lot _older_ though, right?"

He nodded. "My roommate is almost nineteen."

"You already know who your roommate is?"

"Yeah, his name's River Hayden."

"_River_?"

Shawn shrugged.

"I'll bet he got teased a lot when he was a kid."

"Yeah." Shawn smiled. "_I_ won't be teasing him. He'd probably beat me up if I do."

Gina smiled. She doubted Shawn would ever tease anyone like that. He was pretty sweet.

"What does he look like? Do you know?"

Shawn nodded. "He sent me a letter, telling me about himself and it had a picture. I'm not sure if he's really all that happy about having me for a roommate or not – since I'm a lot younger than he is – but he seemed nice enough."

"I'm sure he'll like you. _Everyone_ likes you."

Shawn blushed again, and tried to find something to say to that that wasn't going to make him sound boastful or stupid.

"I have the letter. Do you want to see it?"

"Here?"

"It's in my mom's car. I can go get it."

Gina smiled. "I'd like to see what your roommate looks like."

"I'll be right back."

"Can I come with you?"

Shawn blushed again.

"Sure."

They headed away from the table and for the main entrance, and no sooner stepped out into the hall before they crashed into three running men and went down in a tangle.


	15. 15

_Author's Note: There's bad, bad language here... just so you know_

Jack had been watching Shawn talking to Gina. It wasn't that he was _really_ spying on him, since the two of them were too far away to be able to hear what they were seeing, but Jack was in the habit of watching Shawn and he couldn't really help himself. Even as he was listening to Daniel and Teal'c tell Bra'tac and Anise about the tradition of throwing a bouquet, Jack watched as they turned from the drink table they'd been heading for and started for the door.

He turned back to Bra'tac when the old Jaffa asked him as question, but turned back when he heard a shout of surprise coming from the door Shawn had just left. He wasn't the only one that heard it, either, because the room suddenly stilled and all eyes turned towards the door. Jack was already moving towards the door, with Jaffer close at hand.

........

"Hey!"

Shawn had been slammed to the floor pretty hard, but it didn't hurt. He'd landed on someone else. And not Gina. A man he didn't know, who Shawn saw wasn't wearing formal clothing, which put him out of place immediately.

"Get _off_ me you little bastard!"

The man struggled out from under him, but Shawn felt himself being grabbed by the back of his tuxedo jacket and pulled to the side, roughly. He heard Gina shriek as someone did the same to her as the three men that had run into them tried to untangle themselves. They didn't have time to deal with some kids! They had bigger problems. But the leader of the group suddenly realized that the kids weren't going to be a problem, they'd probably be the solution.

He grabbed Shawn again, dragging the boy to his feet in a powerful grip.

"Let go of me!"

"Shut up, or I'll blow your fucking head off here and now."

"Wha-?"

Shawn jerked his head to the side and felt something hard suddenly pressed against his cheek. He looked down and saw the man was actually holding a sawed off shotgun in his hand.

"Hold _still_!"

He stopped struggling immediately; shocked that anyone would want to break up Jack's wedding. What was the point?

Looking around quickly, the leader of the group tightened his grip on Shawn's jacket and pulled him backwards into the open door.

"Grab her and bring her."

Gina tried to dodge as one of the addicts grabbed her, but the sight of the guns had her just as shocked as Shawn was, and a rough hand grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door so hard and fast that she was literally pulled off her feet.

"Get _up_!"

She was pulled to her feet and pushed to the door, but she ran into the back of the leader of the little group. The man had stopped cold when he turned around and saw the room he'd just dragged Shawn into.

It wasn't empty, but he'd known it wouldn't be. The sight of the boy and girl in their finery had made him assume – quickly – that there was some kind of dance going on. That was no problem. He could intimidate a roomful of kids just as easily as the ones they had hold of. What he hadn't expected was what he'd seen.

A roomful of men and women in uniform. Military uniforms. And all of them were far quicker to get over their shock at seeing him than he was at seeing them. The barrel of the gun dug harder against Shawn's cheek, and then was jolted when Gina was pushed against the man's back.

"Everyone freeze!"

It hadn't worked for the cops, but it _did_ work in this instance. The people in the room knew that the gun was deadly – most of them knew first hand just how much damage a shotgun could do – and they froze. Then the two addicts saw what was in the room as well, and one of them spoke what was clearly in the mind of both of them.

"Oh, _shit_! It's the _fucking_ _Army_!"

.............

Jack had frozen immediately, feeling a sudden cold ball of fear in his gut when he saw the gun so tightly pressed against Shawn's cheek. It wouldn't go off. It _couldn't_.

"_Jack_!"

"Shut _up_!"

The man shook Shawn so hard that the boy actually winced, but the barrel of that shotgun didn't move. "You say another word and I'll kill you, and then I'll kill your friend here."

He liked the look of fear that was in the boy's dark brown eyes. Loved the way it felt to know that he had the kid's life in his hands. That a single twitch of his finger would snuff him out in an instant.

"Let him go..."

Jack couldn't hold himself still. He couldn't. Not when Shawn was in the hands of someone so dangerous. Jack could see the look in the man's eyes, and knew that Shawn was in far more danger than anyone knew. He was enjoying this too much, and he'd gotten over the shock of seeing the room full of military personnel far too quickly for Jack's comfort.

The shotgun didn't move.

"Go fuck yourself."

In the crowded room, no one saw the black lab moving. Jack had the attention of the leader of the group, and the other two were scared but desperate enough to hold tight to the girl and point their shotguns at the rest of the crowd. Jaffer was very good at moving quietly, and he was far more agile than his size made him seem. The big lab moved to get into a better position.

"Let him go."

Jack's voice was deadly calm, but inside beyond the fear there was a terrible fury rising up inside him. He didn't know what the guys were doing there, but they weren't supposed to be here. Not today. And they sure as hell had no business putting that gun to Shawn's head, or threatening to turn what was supposed to be the best day of Jack and Sam's life into a bloodbath.

"How about I _kill_ him, big shot? How'd you like that?"

The leader of the group didn't really know all that much about the military, but he saw all the ribbons on Jack's chest and assumed he was someone high ranking. He was enjoying this almost as much as he was enjoying the fear in the boy's eyes. Taunting a _General_! How much better could it get?

The entire room was silent. The other kids had frozen, almost all of them at the table where the refreshments were. Sam, Jacob and Hammond were all standing close to Dotty, but none of them could do anything. None of them had brought a weapon with them. Who brought guns to weddings? Dotty had a weapon, but it was in her purse, and it was in her car, locked in the trunk. Despite all her advanced technology, she was just as helpless to stop the man who was threatening her son as Jack was.

Jack _had_ a weapon, though, and Jaffer was at the edge of the crowd, now, his head low and his hackles raised. He had already judged the distance between him and the man who was holding Shawn and knew he couldn't attack just yet, but he was patient, and when the opportunity presented itself, Jaffer would be ready. He'd worked with Jack enough to know that his Jack would make an opportunity for him. All he had to do was wait.

The leader of the men knew he'd made a mistake with that statement. Jack had maneuvered his way close enough to the men that he was in the front of the group of wedding goers – himself between the danger and his people – as it should be, and the man could see his expression quite clearly. Before, he'd seen fear in the General's eyes. Now, though, the brown eyes held a smoldering fury that actually made the leader of the group a little nervous. And he reacted to that by pushing the weapon barrel harder into Shawn's cheek, eliciting a gasp of pain from the boy.

"Don't make me do it, chief... I don't want to..."

He _did_ want to. He didn't have a problem killing everyone in the room, including the kids. But he _didn't_ want to die, and he knew the moment he lost his shield, the man in front of him was going to kill him. He didn't see any kind of weapon, but two killers can recognize each other, and the man holding Shawn knew that the man in front of him was far more deadly than he was. Even without a gun.

"Let him go."

The gun barrel moved slightly, away from Shawn's cheek until it was pointed directly at Jack's chest.

"Make me."


	16. 16

_That_ was what Jaffer had been waiting for. The moment the gun was no longer directly against Shawn's cheek – almost before the man had finished his ultimately foolish taunt – Jaffer attacked. Without a sound and completely without restraint.

Before the man realized what was happening, an impossibly fast flash of black was on him, and the hand holding the shotgun was the primary target. His wrist was slashed wide open and the tendon was completely severed before he could squeeze the trigger. Once the tendon was gone, he couldn't move the finger if he'd _wanted_ to. Jaffer's attack had been surgical.

"_Fuck_!"

The shotgun dropped, and the man jerked backwards, into the man holding Gina. Jaffer wasn't finished with him, though, and a streak of blonde and a snarl plainly announced Jack's own arrival on the scene.

A new set of fangs slashed, and another wrist was ripped open, another shotgun falling to the floor with a frightened and pain filled cry of surprise. The man holding Shawn grabbed the boy tighter, but he was in for yet another surprise.

Shawn had been training with Jack, Teal'c and Bra'tac for nearly three years now, learning self-defense and all styles of martial arts. Once the danger of the shotgun was nullified, the young man slammed his foot down on the man's foot, causing him to break his grip just enough for Shawn to twist around. His elbow slammed into the man's gut with a satisfying force and the man doubled over just a little. Enough for Jaffer to go for his throat.

Shawn was knocked to the side by the black lab's attack and fell to the floor, and the man had just enough reflex to bring his arm up protectively across his body. Jaffer's razor sharp teeth clamped down on his forearm, turning it into a bloody mess – although it was a lot less bloody than if he'd managed to get his throat. The man went down with a scream, completely panicked, now.

The danger wasn't over. No matter how much Jack wanted a piece of the bastard that had been holding Shawn; Gina was still being held tightly by one of the addicts – the only one still holding a gun. The two had been knocked to the floor when Shawn and his captor crashed into them, but the gun was still in his hand, and he was even more desperate than he had been.

Jack (the dog) was grappling with the man he'd initially attacked, trying for a throat hold. Jaffer was all over the leader of the group, and Jack dove on the man holding Gina, aiming for the arm that was holding the gun. He had to nullify that weapon before it went off. Gina screamed, struggling to get loose, but the man holding her had her in a terrified death-grip, and he was shouting that he'd kill her if they hurt him. Of course, none of them were listening. The crowd surged forward, Dotty somehow managing to get to Shawn and yank him free of the struggle as only a mother can do. She pushed him back towards Sam, who wrapped her arms around him and held him tight when the young man showed signs of heading back into the fight, his adrenaline flowing, now, and his own temper – which he'd inherited from Jack – well up there.

"Stay with me!"

"Let me go, Sam! I'll kill him!"

She didn't, of course, and even though Shawn struggled, he would never hurt am. She held him tight, and he was stuck there, helplessly watching as Jack and Gina and the addict grappled in a tangled mess, with Jaffer still trying to rip the throat out of the guy who'd been foolish enough to mess with his Shawn. Teal'c hurdled Jack, Gina and the addict and joined Jack (the dog), pulling the lab off with a command, and knocking the addict out with a single, well-placed blow of his hand. The man stopped struggling, and went still, his arms both bleeding freely and a nasty welt already forming on his forehead.

Teal'c turned toward Jack and Gina just as the shotgun went off.

Gina screamed again, and Jack went still. The man struggled out from underneath Jack – who was still sprawled on him, and rolled right into Teal'c, who was grabbed him and dispatched him as easily as he had the first guy.

"Jack!"

The cry came from two people at the exact same time. Shawn and Sam both lunged for O'Neill, but Dotty beat them there. She was closer, after all. She dropped to the floor beside Jack and Gina, who were still tangled, and Sam thought she saw Dotty's hand slide under Jack's shirt. There was a moment of silence as the entire room watched – the silence broken only by the screams and growls coming from the only wrestling match still going on. Jaffer was still going after the man's throat, and only Jack would be able to call him off. And Jack was hurt.

Or not. There was a gasp of surprise from Jack, and a collective relieved sigh from the crowd as Jack suddenly jerked his head up, looking around, dazed. Only Gina and Dotty saw the dazed look, though, and it passed almost immediately.

"Jack!"

A movement in the hallway drew everyone's attention, and only a sharp command from Teal'c kept Jack from attacking the gun-wielding officer that came running into the room, followed by another, and then another. They took in the scene immediately, and headed for the man who was struggling with the black lab. The man's arms were shredded, and still he held them, knowing – just as he had when he'd seen the look in Jack's eyes – that the dog wanted to kill him, and he would the minute he lowered his arm. So the arm stayed up, and Jaffer continued attacking it, certain he'd eventually chew it off and be able to get to the throat.

"Call off the dog!" One of the cops ordered, as the other turned over one of the unconscious men and started handcuffing him.

The leader of the group couldn't agree more. Jack rolled over, looking around in confusion, and Dotty helped him to his feet.

"It's all right, Jack. You're fine." She told him, reaching down with her other hand and pulling a sobbing Gina to her feet as well. The girl's dress was blood-stained, but when her mother sprang forward to check her, there was no injury.

"_Call off the fucking dog_!" The cop yelled again, slightly pale at the sight of Jaffer determinedly attacking over and over.

"Jaffer, stop." Jack ordered, as Shawn and Sam came over to him, Sam running her hand along Jack's side and belly, sliding her hand along the uniform, that was stained and slightly mangled as if a hundred little lead pellets had struck it all at the same time.

"It's okay, Sam..." Jack said. "He must have missed me."

He knew better, and Sam knew better, but no one else needed to know. There'd have been way too many questions to answer about Dotty if the truth came out.

Jaffer stopped his attack the minute Jack told him to, and crouched next to the man he'd been attacking, watching as the police officer pushed the dropped shotgun even further away and started reading him his rights.

The gun came to a rest at Shawn's feet, and the young man stooped and picked it up, expertly unloading it and then walking away from Sam and Jack and his mother to stand over the man who'd threatened him with the weapon only minutes before. The fury in his eyes was an echo of Jack's own, and the man noticed immediately what most people missed. This kid was related to that General.

"Fuck you, kid..." The man said.

Shawn knelt down next to the guy, right beside Jaffer who was still showing his formidable teeth to the man and ignoring the police officer who told him to get back.

"You think you hurt now?" Shawn said, softly enough that only the bleeding man and Jaffer could hear him. "You're lucky Jaffer here got to you before Jack did."

The thing was, the man knew Shawn was right, although he'd never admit it to anyone but himself.

"Shawn, get away from him." Jack didn't like Shawn so close, even though the police were already bandaging the man so they could handcuff him.

Shawn stood up, handed the shotgun to another officer, and walked back to his family, calling Jaffer to join him.


	17. 17

It was a while before the reception got underway again. There was a lot of cleaning up to do – the police worked as quickly as they could, but there was a lot of information needed from witnesses, which was a bit discomforting, since many of the witnesses were aliens. Hammond told the Jaffa and the other aliens to just be quiet and he'd do the talking for them. He told the police they were from out of town – in for the wedding – which wasn't a lie, and that English wasn't their primary language, so he'd do the talking for them. The police accepted that readily enough. They didn't want to crash the party any longer than they needed to, and privately the Captain that was sent down to oversee the whole mess felt like shit for taking as long as he was, so he hurried the men along as well as he could.

Jack was questioned extensively, as was Shawn and Gina. Gina was still distraught. It wasn't every day that someone grabbed you and held a gun to you, after all, but she settled a little when Jack pulled her to the side and spoke with her softly, telling her just how proud he was of how well she'd handled what had happened. She had been told by her mother that they could go home if they wanted, and Jack said he would understand, but the girl was made of sterner stuff than that, and she told him she'd stay. He smiled, and gave her a hug, noting that her dress was splattered with blood – presumably from one of the guys who'd been attacked by the dogs, but Jack knew it was his. He asked Sam if they could find Gina something else to wear that would make her look a little less gory, and Sam had taken the girl off to a bathroom with a few of the others to fix her up. Jack sent Jaffer with them, just because.

Daniel came over to where Jack was sitting just as the police were wrapping things up.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Daniel frowned. Jack was looking a bit pale – even for someone who'd just been in a life or death struggle with a shotgun-toting psycho.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

Actually, he felt dizzy and weak, and there was an ache deep in his side that wouldn't go away, but it was a lot better than the alternative.

"You sure?"

Jack scowled.

"I'm fine, Daniel, just a little sore, I guess."

"The police are about done here, so we'll be able to get back to what we were doing."

Jack nodded. "Good."

"If you want to make your flight, though, we'll have to cut a few things out of the schedule."

It was already three thirty, and Jack and Sam were leaving the reception at five.

"Hey guys," They both looked up and saw Sam returning, with Jaffer walking next to her. The black lab was a little damp – which was a sure sign that Sam had taken the opportunity to wash the blood off his face and chest – but he was looking cheerfully at Jack, wagging his tail.

Jack reached out and scratched Jaffer's ears, smiling at Sam as he did so.

"How's Gina?"

"She's fine." Sam looked over at where Gina was standing next to her mother, Shawn and Dotty, talking to them. The girl was now dressed in casual slacks and a long sleeved t-shirt, which made her stick out from the others, but looked a lot better than what she'd been wearing. "She wants to know if you'll dance with her."

Jack smiled.

"Are we ready to get back to the party?"

"The police are telling us they're about done." Sam grinned. "Bra'tac wants to talk to you and Teal'c later, by the way."

"Oh? About what?"

"Getting some dogs. That was the first time they'd ever seen Jaffer and Jack in action, and all of the Jaffa were impressed."

"So was I," Daniel said. "And I've seen them in action before."

Jack smiled, "You should tell them to talk to Andrew and his parents. They're the dog breeders. I'm certainly not giving them Jaffer." The black lab wuffled Jack's side, his nose digging into the part of Jack's uniform that was tattered. Luckily, no one had noticed in all the other confusion, since he didn't have anything to change into.

"I was just telling Jack that we might have to cut some things out of the schedule, Sam," Daniel said, apologetically.

Sam shrugged.

"Whatever you need to, Daniel. As long as I still get to throw my bouquet."

"I'll make sure we put that in."

"Cut out the present opening," Jack suggested. "We can open them later, when we get back."

That was a good idea. Daniel nodded and went off to talk to Janet about the new schedule, and Sam sat down next to Jack. He slipped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Jack." She leaned over and rested her cheek against his. "You?"

"A little sore."

"We'll cut out the dancing, too."

He wanted to argue, but he really didn't feel like dancing – although he'd promised Gina he would, so he'd at least make sure he'd dance with her.

"I'll make it up to you."

"I know." She brushed a kiss against his ear, and went to talk to Daniel and Janet, leaving him to sit and rest with Jaffer still snuggled up against him.

Jack looked down at the lab.

"What would I do without you?"

Jaffer wagged his tail, and Jack smiled.

"You big cow."

There was a soft laugh from nearby, and Jack and Jaffer both looked over and saw that Dotty had walked up to them without either of them noticing.

"How do you feel, Jack?" Dotty asked, taking the spot Sam had vacated.

"A lot better than I should be – thanks to you."

She smiled and rested her hand on Jaffer's head.

"I'm glad I was close at hand."

"So am I. Thank you."

She shrugged.

"You do know you're not 100 percent, right? I could only do so much."

"I know." It was still a lot better than it could have been. "I'll be careful."

"Good." She shivered, despite the warmth in the room with so many people there. He noticed, of course.

"Are you all right?"

"I can't get the thought of what might have happened out of my mind..."

Jack nodded, understanding completely, and he put his arm around her.

"You wouldn't have let anything happen to him."

"I couldn't do anything to stop him."

"Well, that's Jaffer's job."

"And yours?"

"When I can."

"And when he goes away to school?"

Jack gave her a one-armed hug, understanding why she was worried about her son leaving for school.

"Don't worry, Dotty. I'll keep an eye on him."

"I know, Jack. I'm just being a distraught mother, aren't I?"

"You're being a concerned mother," he corrected. "And there's nothing wrong with that."

She smiled.

"And you?" She asked. "Are you concerned?"

Jack shook his head.

"I'm in a position to make sure that I don't have to be concerned." He told her. "When I get back from the honeymoon, Shawn's instructors and I are going to have a long talk."

She didn't ask what they were going to talk about. She didn't need to know the details. Dotty knew that Jack would do well by Shawn in the best manner he thought necessary. That was good enough for her. She squeezed his hand softly and stood up.

"Save me a dance, Jack."

He nodded, and she patted Jaffer's head, affectionately, then left the two of them alone once more.


	18. 18

_Author's note: I'm truly sorry this took so long. I'm having internet difficulties until tomorrow and I'm forced to rely only on my laptop, which I hate to use to type on because I'm soooo slow when it comes to typing on the little keyboard. I'll be fixed tomorrow, hopefully. Until then, I'll get them up as fast as I can._

.................

They didn't dance together to open the reception. As much as Jack wanted to, there were other things they needed to get done, and dancing with Sam would have to wait. Of course, she didn't mind. She sat next to him while they watched Daniel and Janet – as the best man and the bridesmaid – get things started.

"I had a special dancing song picked out just for you," Jack told her, scowling.

Sam smiled, and rubbed her hand lightly along his left thigh.

"We have the rest of our lives to dance together, Jack."

He nodded, and put his hand over hers. The other hand was resting on Jaffer's head. The black lab's nose was resting on Jack's right thigh, and he didn't seem to have any inclination to move it until Jack told him to. Which was fine as far as O'Neill was concerned. He seemed to feel better when Jaffer was close, although he knew it was all psychological.

"Jack?"

They both looked up to see that pretty much everyone was looking at them, and Jack wondered what they'd missed while they'd been talking. Daniel had an almost exasperated look on his face, but Jack was used to that look. Daniel wore it a lot around him, after all.

"What?"

"We're going to cut the cake."

"We are?"

"_You_ are." Daniel corrected, shaking his head.

"Ah." Jack stood up, taking Sam's hand and leading her to the table where the wedding cake had been displayed for all to see. It was a beautiful 3-tiered creation of white icing and all sorts of tiny roses and other decorations. At the very top of the cake, standing stiffly on the third tier and knee-deep in the thick, fluffy icing were two small figures. One wearing Air Force blues and the other a wedding dress. Amazingly enough, they actually even looked like Sam and Jack. More or less.

Jack looked at it, smiling. Oh yes... cake... his very own cake... all his... well, not _all_. He supposed it was half Sam's, since they were married, after all. But she didn't like cake nearly as much as he did, so Jack was sure that he was probably holding claim to the biggest chunk of it.

Sam smiled when she saw the possessive gleam in his eyes, and had a feeling that he'd have been more than willing to eat the whole thing himself. When she looked down at Jaffer, she couldn't help but smile even broader, since the black lab had the exact same look in his brown eyes, and yeah, there was a little drool on his jowls. What was it with those two and cake?

"Are you going to cut it, or bronze it?" Hammond asked, handing over a knife.

The crowd chuckled appreciatively, and Jack grinned and took the knife from his commanding officer.

"Well... I suppose if you all want some of it, it's going to have to be cut."

He gave the knife to Sam, and then put his hand lightly over hers as she cut the first slice of the cake. Then they cut that first slice in half, and Sam reached for one, and Jack reached for the other.

"No funny business," Sam warned him as they raised the piece of cake they each held to the others' mouth.

"What? From me?" Jack's eyes were filled with mischief and laughter, and a moment later his piece of cake was smeared across her face.

"Oops." He gave her an innocent look that was nowhere near genuine. "Missed."

Sam reciprocated with stunning accuracy, and Jack found his nose filled with icing and the side of his cheek smeared white as well.

The crowd roared its approval, and Jack pulled her into his arms, pressing his cheek against hers, smearing themselves further.

"I love you." He whispered, his lips sliding along her ear for just a moment, as he tasted the icing that was smeared there.

Sam shivered – both at the touch and at the words, and hugged him close. She'd waited so long for this!

"I love you, too..."

They stayed that way for a little longer than was normal, but no one said anything. Most of the guest were members of the SGC and knew how long this day had been in the making. Jack and Sam were due a little time to hold each other. Jaffer, on the other hand, didn't care. He'd waited long enough for his share of icing, and he nosed Jack's hand, making a soft woofing noise to remind Jack that he was here, and he wanted cake.

O'Neill broke the hug and looked down.

"Yes, Jaffer, I know... cake time."

Jack handed the knife over to Daniel. It wasn't _his_ job to cut the cake for everyone, just for Sam. That was the good thing about being the groom. Now that the vows were spoken and the rings were on, he didn't have any responsibilities at the wedding or the reception. Basically, his part was done. Which was a good thing, because he still didn't feel all that great, and was ready to sit down again.

"Sir?"

Jack and Sam both turned. A Marine had come up behind them as they'd moved to the side, and was holding a small bundle.

"General Hammond sent me to get you something to change into, Sir."

"Thank you, Sergeant," Jack said, truly grateful. He reached for the clothes, and was glad to see that it was casual but not jeans. Obviously the Sergeant knew that Jack didn't want to spend his reception – what little there would be – running around in jeans and a t-shirt.

"You're welcome, Sir."

Jack kissed Sam – who was still wonderfully smeared with icing – and stepped back.

"I'll be right back."

She smiled and nodded.

"Take Jaffer with you."

"Why?"

"So he doesn't knock me down to lick my face."

He snorted – spraying icing that was stuck up his nose – and Sam giggled.

"We'll be right back." He headed for the door, walking slowly as if he were in a little pain, but hiding it fairly well. Only someone who knew him would know he was uncomfortable.

"Is he okay?" Janet asked, watching as Jack and Jaffer left. She'd come up to Sam, holding a plate with a piece of cake on it. The first piece that the newlyweds weren't wearing.

Sam nodded.

"He seems to be fine."

"It was a close thing, huh?"

"Yes. Too close."

"Daniel says we should probably throw the bouquet and garter next. We're running out of time before your flight leaves."

Sam looked over at the clock on the wall and nodded. She was right; it was getting late.

"We'll do it when Jack gets back," she said. She turned and looked at the delegates from the Tok'ra and the Tollan, who were admiring the cake. The Jaffa were all gathered around Teal'c, still asking him questions about Jack.

"Maybe someone should explain throwing the bouquet to Anise and the other females?"


	19. 19

"Jack?"

Sam's soft voice wasn't really enough to wake him up, but the gentle hand she rested on his thigh combined with her voice was, and he opened his eyes, sleepily.

"Hmm?"

"We're going to be landing, soon. I thought you'd want a chance to wake up."

He nodded, and stretched his legs a little, debating whether or not to doze off again and have her wake him in a few minutes. Kind of like his own personal snooze button with beautiful blue eyes.

They were sitting in the first class portion of a 747, on the way to Jamaica, where they had reservations at the fanciest hotel that Montego Bay had to offer. This wasn't what they'd originally planned to do for their honeymoon, but the trip had been a wedding present from General Hammond and Jacob Carter, and the newlyweds had decided that a couple weeks on a sunny beach in Jamaica was just as nice as a couple weeks next to the lake at the cabin. Especially since provisions had been made so they could take Jaffer with them. Jack would never go on vacation and leave Jaffer with someone else for so long. He'd probably die.

At that moment, the black lab was stretched out in his own seat in first class – the one on Jack's other side – where he'd been pampered and made much of by all the airline staff from the moment he arrived on the plane. Somewhere over Iowa, he'd fallen asleep with his head on Jack's thigh and his belly filled with two meals – and the remains of Jack's. Jack had fallen asleep only a few moments later, with his head resting lightly on his wife's shoulder and his hand on Jaffer's side.

"I'm not going to carry you off the plane, so you'd better wake up," Sam told him, watching him as he debated going back to sleep.

He smiled, looking at her with his sleepy brown eyes that she loved so much – and had loved for so long.

"I've carried you off planes before."

"That was different. I was sick."

"I could pretend to be sick..."

"Then I'd have to nurse you back to health. Is that _really_ how you want to spend our honeymoon?"

Ah, she caught him there. He had _lots_ of plans for how he wanted to spend their honeymoon, and none of them included chicken soup and hot water bottles. He sighed, and made an effort to sit up and wake up a little. He leaned over Jaffer and looked out the window, but it was well past midnight – what with the differences in time zones – so he couldn't see anything.

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere around Cuba."

_That_ was a pleasant thought. Jack scowled, but since the plane wasn't crashing, he supposed he didn't have to worry about falling out of the sky and somehow ending up in Fidel Castro's lap. He looked down and nudged Jaffer, who was snoring lightly. The lab woke up and looked at him a little tiredly, but Jack decided it was probably from traveling so far by plane. He wasn't used to it.

"How long until we land?"

Sam shrugged.

"They just said they were making a final approach."

"How long until that?"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, Jack."

He reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. She had changed out of her wedding dress right before they'd left the reception, and was now wearing a salmon colored skirt and a white blouse, which were much better for traveling in.

"So, Mrs. O'Neill..."

Sam smiled, and looked down at her hand. Her wedding ring and engagement ring were sparkling in the muted light of the first class cabin.

"Yes, Colonel O'Neill...?"

"What were you and Sally talking about before we left?"

Right before Jack and Sam had left the reception to catch their flight, Sally had pulled Sam aside and the two had spoken softly for a few minutes. When Jack had asked what she'd wanted, Sam told her she'd tell him later. Now was later.

"What she should put the bouquet in to keep the flowers from drying out." Sam told him. Sally had been the one to catch the bouquet Sam had thrown, much to Jack's amusement. He'd looked over at Daniel and saw his friend smiling as well. If there had been more time, Jack would have pulled Daniel aside and spoken to him about the joys of weddings and receptions, but there just hadn't been enough time. Maybe he'd do his meddling when he and Sam got back from their trip.

"Bull-ony..." He didn't believe that for a minute.

Sam laughed.

"She asked me if we were making baby plans," Sam admitted.

Jack smiled.

"And you told her...?"

"Maybe."

He nodded. There wasn't a _maybe_ to it, really. Sam had been careful to stay away from the SGC for the last couple of weeks – ostensibly she'd been too busy making plans for the wedding to come into work – and had been working on work-related things in her own private little lab that had once been the guest room in Jack's house. The two of them had decided that the honeymoon – and the vacation that was involved – was just too good of an opportunity to pass up on. They had no reason to wait to try and have a baby, after all. Both were adults, and both were more than ready to be parents.

"And she said...?"

Sam smiled.

"She lectured me on not waiting too long."

"This coming from the woman that's been dating Daniel for three years...?"

"Give them time, Jack. They're both busy people."

"So are we."

"But we're always busy doing the same thing. It's harder for them."

He shrugged, and started to say something else when he felt them start their descent. He started to look out the window again, remembered that it was dark and he wouldn't see anything but lights on the ground and looked down at Jaffer to cover the movement.

"Wake up, little man. You don't want to be left on the plane, do you?"

Jaffer's tail thumped the other armrest of the chair, but he didn't raise his head from Jack's thigh as he looked up at O'Neill cheerfully. He knew Jack wouldn't leave him! Besides, if he _did_ leave him, there were half a dozen stewardesses on the plane who'd be more than willing to take him home with them for a couple of weeks of fun in the sun and pampering, and Jaffer knew it well.

Jack did, too. He thumped the black lab's shoulder.

"You know... you might be a _little_ spoiled...."


	20. 20

The hotel was beautiful. A limo had been waiting for them at the airport, and the driver had been told to look for a couple with a big black dog, so there hadn't been any trouble figuring out who he was supposed to be picking up. Jack had one arm around Sam and the other was holding the handles of both of their suitcases. It wasn't comfortable, but he wanted to hold her, too.

Sam had her left arm around Jack and the other hand was holding Jaffer's leash – although the lab was behaving beautifully, and had been the entire trip.

The driver jumped forward and took Jack's bags from him with a huge smile both for the newlyweds and for Jaffer.

"Welcome to Jamaica!" He told them as he turned and opened the back door of the limo with his foot. He'd already hit the button that opened the trunk of the limo, and he deposited the bags there while Jack shook his hand to get feeling back in it.

"Thank you," Sam said, smiling as Jack opened the door a little further so she could precede him into the long white car.

"The bar is stocked, Sir," the driver had told them as he closed the door behind Jack. He didn't wait for a reply; he simply ran around the car and got behind the wheel. It was a half hour drive to the hotel from the airport and it was late. He knew they'd come in from the western half of the united states, so it wouldn't seem so late to them, but he was sure they'd want to have a chance to relax a bit after the long flight. Besides, the driver knew they were newlyweds, and even with the big dog, he was sure they had other things on their minds right then besides a sight-seeing tour.

They'd cuddled the entire drive to the hotel. Hands slid along cloth – and occasionally under it – but there wasn't anything too naughty going on in the darkened back seat of the limo. Jack was reserved by nature when it came to such things; after all, although with Sam it was sometimes easy to forget that.

The service at the hotel was first class as well. They'd been met by a small army of valets and doormen and the only thing Jack had to hold on the way to their room was Sam's hand. Which he did willingly. Sam still had Jaffer's leash, and when he hesitated at a potted tree that was in one of the lobbies, she groaned softly and prayed he wasn't going to stop and take a pee right then and there. From the looks on the bellboy's face, he was hoping the same thing.

They both visibly relaxed when Jaffer finished his sniffing and left the tree dry.

"Your room is ground floor," the man told them as they walked. "There is a sliding door and a small area for your pet to... do whatever he needs to do."

"Do you get dogs here often?" Sam had asked, surprised that the classy hotel had arranged such a thing.

"Oh, yes! Occasionally someone will want to bring their dog – or cat – with them, and they get first claim to the garden room. It is fenced, so he will be fine. He's a lab, right?"

"Yup."

Jack had answered that question, unable to keep out of any conversation that was about Jaffer. It was just the way he was.

"Beautiful dogs! And friendly."

Of course, Jaffer was looking cheerfully around him, anyways, so there was no doubting that he was friendly. A dozen guests had already walked past them as they walked to their room, and twice they'd been stopped so Jaffer could get acquainted.

"He's a pussycat," Jack agreed. Of course, neither mentioned that the pussycat had tried to rip a guy's throat out less than 12 hours before. That probably wouldn't have gone down well with the hotel management.

Sam hid her smile.

At the door, the bellboy handed Jack the keycard to the room, and asked if he knew how to use it.

"Oh, I've seen a few of them in my day," Jack had drawled. After all, the entire base was filled with security doors that needed keycards like this one.

"I will leave you, then. If you need anything, feel free to pick up the phone in your room and dial 0. The operator will call me."

"Thanks."

The man gave Jaffer another quick look, then bowed slightly and headed back down the hall.

Jack opened the door, but reached out and grabbed Sam's arm when she started through it.

"Were do you think you're going?"

"What?"

He rolled his eyes and took Jaffer's leash from her hand.

"Stay there."

He entered the room first – well, second, after Jaffer – and set the bags inside the door. Then he came out into the hallway, and scooped her up into his arms before she realized what he was doing.

"It's a _tradition_, Sam," he told her, as he carried her across the thresh hold of their room.

She wrapped her arms lightly around his neck and rested her cheek against his, more than willing to be in his arms.

"I thought you hated traditions?"

"I hate traditions that keep me away from you. I love the ones that let me hold you closer."

He turned his head, then, and kissed her gently. A soft, slow kiss that soon grew heated. Sam was glad she was still in his arms, because she knew that her knees would have turned to jelly by the time they separated, coming up for air.

"Close the door, Jack," she whispered. "It's late, and I'm ready for bed..."

He smiled, and set her on her feet, his eyes shining with love as he turned and closed the door, then locked it. He didn't walk back over to her, though. To Sam's surprise, he turned to his bags and started rummaging through them.

"We can't go to bed yet, Sam," he told her, his voice muffled because he was turned away from her – which was giving her a fine view of his bottom, but it was a lousy way to make a conversation.

"Why not?"

"We have another tradition to fill, first." He turned around and she saw he was holding a CD in his hand. "You still owe me that first dance."

Sam smiled.


	21. 21

_Author's note: Okay! I've never done a songfic before – and certainly never have integrated one into a story before – but I think it's appropriate in this case, so bear with me. For the record, I didn't write the song and I don't own it. (but I do rather like it) The song is sung by Andy Griggs._

............

"You brought a CD with you?" Sam asked, watching as he walked over to the stereo system that was built into the wall next to the sliding door that led outside. Jaffer followed Jack, and stopped at the door. He wanted out.

O'Neill smiled, and opened the door, looking out and seeing that, yes, there was a small grassy garden-like area that did have a fence all the way around it. Jaffer would be fine outside. He let the dog out and then turned to Sam.

"I brought it from the reception. Since we didn't get a chance to dance together, I thought we might get a chance here."

She slipped off her sandals and shook her head. That was the kind of thing Jack would think of that no one would ever believe he was capable of thinking of. He was far more of a romantic – way down deep – than Sam had ever believed, much to her delight. She watched as he put the CD in, and as he walked over to her, she was half-surprised to hear a guitar start playing what was obviously a country song. Jack didn't listen to a lot of country music. Not that Sam knew, anyways.

He smiled, and put his arms around her, pulling her lightly up against his warm, strong body, and Sam rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't care what song it was, she just wanted to be with him. She'd have danced to Metallica if he'd hold her like that all night. Then the song started, and the words were far more clear and soft, and easy to understand than any Metallica song she'd ever heard.

_She thinks I walk on water _

_She thinks I hung the moon _

_She tells me every morning, _

_"They just don't make men like you"_

She smiled and turned her head.

"I think you _walk on water_?"

Jack smiled, and the hand that was around her waist came free for a moment and tapped her on the nose lightly.

"I didn't write it, but listen to the words, Sam. Besides those. The rest is the part that matters." He was quiet, then, because the singer was still singing, and he wanted her to hear the words. He put his arm back around her and the two swayed gently to the music as Sam listened to whatever message Jack was trying to get through to her with the song.

_She thinks I've got it together _

_She swears I'm as tough as nails _

_But I don't have the heart to tell her _

_She don't know me that well_

Well, that much was true; Sam decided. He _was_ tough as nails. Look what he'd been through just that day. He'd been shot – and healed, thank God – and hadn't even mentioned it to anyone, because he didn't want it to ruin their day. Soft on the inside, hard on the outside.

_She don't know how much I need her _

_She don't know I'd fall apart _

_Without her kiss, without her touch _

_Without her faithful, loving arms_

She felt tears welling up in her eyes at those words, and she turned her head slightly and pressed a gentle kiss against his neck. She _did_ know he needed her. Mostly because he told her that every day to make sure she knew it. Jack responded to her kiss by giving her a light squeeze, but he didn't say anything, obviously still listening to the music. Sam listened to, already deciding that this was her new favorite song.

_She don't know that it's all about her _

_She don't know I can't live without her _

_She's my world, she's my everything _

_And she thinks she needs me_

How many times had he risked his life to save her? How many times had she seen him struggling to get to her when he, himself, was so injured that she was surprised he was still on his feet? Of course it was the same when it came to her feelings for him, but Jack was so passionate that it was almost overwhelming sometimes – which was why he turned to sarcasm and wry humor when things were going bad to ease things up a little.

_Sometimes she cries on my shoulder _

_When she's lying next to me _

_But she don't know that when I hold her _

_That she's really holding me, holding me_

She smiled at that, thinking of all the times he'd come to her for comfort. The only one – besides Jaffer – that he'd ever cry with. Even tough guys cried, and it was so much better if they had someone to cry with. Crying alone never eased an ache like crying with the one you love does.

_She don't know how much I need her _

_She don't know I'd fall apart _

_Without her kiss, without her touch _

_Without her faithful, loving arms _

_She don't know that it's all about her _

_She don't know I can't live without her_

His arms tightened around her, holding her closer as Jack listened to the words as well. He'd picked this song for their wedding dance because of the trueness of the words. The guy who wrote it had it all so perfectly – except for that whole walking on water thing – that he could have been inside Jack's head for the past 7 years.

_She's my world, she's my everything _

_And she thinks she needs me _

_Yeah, and the funny thing is _

_She thinks she's the lucky one _

_She don't know how much I need her _

_She don't know I'd fall apart _

_Without her kiss, without her touch _

_Without her faithful, loving arms _

_She don't know that it's all about her _

_She don't know I can't live without her _

_She's my world, she's my everything _

_And she thinks she needs me_

She meant so much to him... more than she'd know – even with the singer telling her. He'd gladly sacrifice himself and everything he owned for her without hesitation. She had to understand that. _Had to know_. Jack wasn't as great at saying this kind of stuff – although he'd opened up a lot since his relationship with Sam had been formalized so long ago – so he was grateful that the singer could say it for him.

_She thinks I walk on water _

_She thinks I hung the moon_

They stood together as the final notes of the song faded away, and Jack ran his fingers through Sam's hair, turning his head and kissing her gently.

"That was beautiful, Jack," Sam whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

He nodded.

"I thought so, too."

Her hands slid down his body, and she kissed him as she contemplated the words of the song – she already had most of them memorized, one of the advantages of being a genius, she supposed. She loved it. And loved him.

"Bring Jaffer in, and let's go to bed."


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue

"O'Neill."

Jack smiled and nodded a greeting to Teal'c as he and Jaffer joined the Jaffa and Jack at the elevator. Then he frowned.

"Teal'c? Why are you holding Binky? That _is_ Binky, right?"

Teal'c scowled.

"It is."

"And you're holding her because...?"

"Because she is not trained to walk at my side as Jack is."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Why is she with you in the first place?"

"I was asked to cat-sit, and could not think of any reason I could not."

Meaning he'd tried to get out of it and hadn't come up with an excuse quick enough. Jack smiled.

"Where's Sally?"

"She went on a short vacation."

"Why isn't Daniel watching Binky?"

"Daniel Jackson accompanied her."

Ah. Jack looked at the cat that was resting comfortably in Teal'c's powerful arms. She was jet black with a splash of white on her chest, and was craning her head over Teal'c's forearm to look down at Jaffer, who was watching her intently with his tail wagging.

"When are they going to be back?"

"Sometime this week, I am told." He looked over at O'Neill. "Did you enjoy your honeymoon, O'Neill?"

"You have no idea how much, Teal'c." Jack said, smiling. He was deeply tanned from a couple of weeks on the beach, and the sun had felt good – although there'd been a couple of nasty thunderstorms as well. Which was fine, because Jack and Sam both loved to watch storms. "How about you? What did you do while we were gone?"

Teal'c shifted his grip on Binky, who was now struggling slightly in his arms, still looking down at Jaffer, who had craned his head and neck up as far as they could go, trying to get his nose to her.

"I visited Chulak for a week, and upon my return was pressed into cat-sitting duties." The Jaffa scowled when Binky's sharp claws scored a fairly deep scratch along his arm.

"Sounds exciting."

"It is not."

The elevator arrived and the five of them entered it.

"Do you want me to hold her?" Jack asked, finally, watching Teal'c struggle to keep Binky in his arms.

Like he had to ask twice! Teal'c handed the cat over to Jack, who immediately handed her down to Jaffer. The black lab and his blonde brother both sniffed the cat, whuffling happily, but Binky didn't seem to mind at all. As a matter of fact, she rubbed up against Jaffer's nose with her own, as if greeting him.

"Where is Major Carter?"

"Major _O'Neill_," Jack corrected, with a grin.

Teal'c smiled, slightly.

"Forgive me. Where is Major _O'Neill_?"

"She's at home, sleeping in. We got home pretty late last night, so I told her I'd come down and check us both back in."

He was also going to make sure General Hammond knew that they couldn't do any missions through the Stargate for at least another week, just in case he and Sam had managed to conceive while they were away. Now that the two of them knew what had kept her from becoming pregnant, they were going to be very careful to make sure if she _did_ get pregnant she wasn't going to lose this baby.

"It is good to have you both back."

"Thanks, Teal'c." The elevator door swooshed open, and Jaffer scooped up Binky into his mouth before Teal'c could reach down and take the cat once more.

"Want us to watch her?" Jack asked.

"I promised Sally I would," Teal'c said, although it was obvious he wanted to Jack to take the cat more than anything.

O'Neill smiled, "We'll take her, Teal'c. She likes Jaffer, and Sam won't mind." Sam would much prefer Binky hanging out with her than she would Jaffer – who drooled on all of Sam's work the few times he'd joined her in her workshop.

"Thank you, O'Neill."

The five of them headed out of the elevator, Jaffer still carrying the cat, who didn't seem to mind being toted around like this at all.

"Where ya going?"

"To the Commissary. Would you care to join me?"

"Nope. I already had breakfast." Besides, he had to check in. "I'll see you later, though."

"Indeed." The Jaffa took another glance down at the cat in Jaffer's mouth, and headed down the corridor with Jack trotting happily next to him. Jack and Jaffer and Binky headed for Hammond's office.

..............

"Colonel O'Neill, how was the trip?"

"It was great, Sir. Thank you very much."

"Good."

Hammond smiled broadly, glad to see his second in command looking so relaxed and refreshed.

"Where's Major Carter?"

"_O'Neill_, Sir." Jack corrected, smiling. "She's being lazy and sleeping in. We got home late last night."

"Sorry, Colonel. That's going to take some getting used to."

Jack nodded, and Hammond looked down at Jaffer, realizing for the first time that the black lab was carrying a cat in his mouth.

"Is that Sally Longford's cat?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Why is Jaffer carrying it? He's not hurting it, is he?"

Jack shook his head.

"Nah, she likes it. We saw Teal'c in the elevator, getting his arm ripped to shreds by her sharp claws and took her away before he could decide to toss her through the gate."

Hammond smiled, and then looked down at the papers on his desk.

"We have an interesting assignment coming up, Colonel..."

"We?"

The General nodded. He was pretty sure Jack wasn't going to like what he had to tell him – of course, Hammond wasn't all that happy with it, either, so it was mutual.

"The President has decided that since his term is about ready to end, he wants the SGC to be his legacy."

Jack frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"He wants the SGC to be known as the program that was started on his watch, Colonel."

"Is the Stargate going public, Sir?" Jack asked.

Hammond shook his head.

"Not yet, Jack, but it's a huge secret and we know it won't be a secret forever. When it comes public, the President is going to want proof that all the good things that have happened here – mainly the countless times the Earth has been saved – is credited to him."

"And... how is he going to do that?"

Hammond scowled, looking down at the papers on his desk once more.

"With a camera crew that we've been ordered to show around the SGC and allow them to film – most areas. Not all of them, but most."

"What the fu-"

"I'm no more happy about it than you are, Colonel, but it's an order, and we'll do as we're told. Understood?"

Jack scowled, but he nodded.

"When can we expect these camera people?"

"Sometime next month." Hammond sighed. "That'll give us plenty of time to get used to the idea, I suppose."

"Uh huh..." Jack was going to need more than a month.

Hammond looked Jack over, saw that he wasn't quite as furious as he'd expected him to be, and decided he'd send him home, just in case the legendary temper blew later. Sam could deal with Jack a lot better than Hammond could.

"Daniel Jackson is away on vacation – as I'm sure you know – so SG-1 is effectively on downtime until he returns. Go home and spend a little more time with your wife, Jack, and tell Major O'Neill that I'll see her in a week, when Daniel returns."

Jack smiled. Perfect. He wondered if Daniel had done that on purpose.

"Yes, Sir."

He turned and headed out of Hammond's office with Jaffer right beside him, Binky hanging happily from the black lab's mouth. Yeah, the camera guys were something to be annoyed about, and Jack was pretty sure that when he had a chance to think it over he was going to be pretty pissed about the President trying to take credit for a lot of the stuff that he and the people around him had been doing, but that was _weeks_ away. Jack had time to spend some more quality time with Sam, now, and he had time to stop in at the Air Force academy one more time before Shawn arrived there – just to make sure things were going to be a smooth transition for the boy.

There were things to do and people to see, and Jack had a wife to get home to. He smiled at that thought, and headed for the elevator. He needed to stop at Teal'c's quarters and get whatever Teal'c had of Binky's, and then the rest of the week was his. Theirs.

The End

_Author's Note: So! There's the wedding (and a taste of the honeymoon) There really wasn't much reason for me to describe the honeymoon in detail. I'm sure you all can imagine what they did beyond the first dance, and I certainly didn't want to turn this into anything higher than a PG-13 rating! The story was focusing on the wedding, not the honeymoon. So what did you like? What did you not like? Favorite line? Anyways! Thank you to all who reviewed, and I hope you liked it._


End file.
